Member review

My neighbour Totoro, is an animated movie about two sisters, called Satsuki and Mei, who move to the countryside with their dad so that they can be closer to their mum who is in hospital. Their new house is surrounded by woods, which also is home to friendly spirts who like have fun with them.

The reason why I love this movie so much is because of the beautiful animation, it’s really amazing how well the Animation team did to create such dreamy backdrops. The beautiful greens of the world convey a sense of life which, juxtaposes the potential incoming death, with their mum being ill. And they must have so much talent. Additionally, the simple story is easy to follow with a a few loveable characters, and the movie is perfect for those both young and old. Although the movie focuses and the children losing their mother, Totoro seems to be helping the children overcome the stress of their sick mother by trying to make them Smile.

The soundtrack of the movie is whimsical, I especially like the music during the bus stop scene when the protagonists meet Totoro for the first time. Although his appearance is at first scary, his name means “troll“ after all. He is in fact, a big cuddly monster, like many other things in the film. Beauty and magic can be found in scary situations, which is important for the girls to know with there mother’s sickness.

One of the negatives about this movie is, that for the first 20 minutes nothing much happens, it’s just the kids running around and the dad carrying in their personal items. The movie takes too long setting up our characters ands neighbours, making some viewers bored.

The main symbol behind Totoro, is that death isn’t absent from totoro’s world. Miyazaki understands that children may not bear the weight of death and darkness like adults do. Yet they shouldn’t be shielded away from the darkness of reality.

The ending of the film is left, ambiguous which allows the viewer to speculate the ending keeping it in their minds for longer! Masterful storytelling!!

Overall, My Neighbour Totoro is a brilliant movie with meaningful symbolism that is paired with a light fluffy plot, perfect for anyone!