My Neighbor Totoro
4/4
Starring (voices): Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly, Pat Carroll, Lea Salonga, Paul Butcher
Rated G
Watching "My Nighbor Totoro" is like taking a trip back to childhood. It's a sweet, innocent and positively adorable movie about discovering the world around you. There are no villains in this movie, and the only monsters in it are nothing more than big, fuzzy best friends. Rather than chase you, they'll allow you to take a nap on their belly or fly you around the countryside.
Mei (Elle Fanning) and Satsuki Kusakabe (Dakota Fanning) are moving to the countryside with their father (Daly). Their mother (Salonga) is in the hospital for an extended period, and they've moved to be closer to her. The town they moved to is as sweet as they come, with the mother hen-like Granny (Carroll) living nearby and a little boy named Kanta (Butcher), who is so clueless and nervous about girls that he can't even say anything to Satsuki. There's also Totoro (Frank Welker), a mysterious creature that only Mei and Satsuki can see.
Recently, I criticized Hayao Miyazaki's later film "Porco Rosso" for not having much of a plot. Yet I'm praising "My Neighbor Totoro" for the exact same thing. Hypocritical? Not really. "My Neighbor Totoro" isn't about plot (at least not one of a conventional kind). It simply follows th3ese two special little girls as they explore the world they live in. That's not to say that nothing happens in this movie. Far from it. It's just that this movie is about discovery rather than story.
Real-life sisters Elle and Dakota Fanning are perfectly cast as Mei and Satsuki. Both are talented actresses, and they give weight and depth to characters that initially seem one-note. Mei, for example, is an energetic four-year-old who worships her older sister and misses her mother. Satsuki is a little more mature, having to grow up faster than anyone would have liked. Yet, she has not been afflicted with the cynicism that comes with adulthood. Tim Daly plays the best movie dad next to Eugene Levy in "American Pie." The key to his performance is that he can make even the most mundane thing seem like a great adventure to a little girl. Characters named Granny don't get any more loving than Pat Carroll's character. If every neighborhood had a little old lady this awesome, there wouldn't be a need for Boy Scouts.
The main appeal of this movie is its nostalgia factor. I'm not talking about the sepia-toned movies like "The Natural" or "Chariots of Fire." I'm talking about how it almost literally takes us back to early childhood. Mei, in particular, is identifiable in this way. For example, she tries to imitate everything Satsuki does even if she doesn't understand why Satsuki is doing it. Or the time when she asks her father if she looks like a big girl and then replies that she's "off to run some errands." Watch Mei's reaction when she shows up at Satsuki's school. Who hasn't worn that pout at that age?
"My Neighbor Totoro" had trouble getting made. It was deemed too big of a risk, so it was shown before "Grave of the Fireflies." That actually backfired, as people left this movie without seeing Isao Takahata's film. And who can blame them? "My Neighbor Totoro" will leave everyone elated, while "Grave of the Fireflies" is as draining as "Saving Private Ryan." Had they reversed the order, it would have worked. Even still, "My Neighbor Totoro" didn't start making a profit until two years after its release, when toy versions of the monster hit store shelves. The creature has since become the logo of Studio Ghibli.
I really can't explain how great this movie is. This is one of the sweetest, most adorable movies I've ever seen. Free from cynicism, gross humor, and crass marketing. It's one of Miyazaki's best, and an absolute treat for animation lovers, kids, and everyone in between. Family movies don't get much better than this.
Starring (voices): Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly, Pat Carroll, Lea Salonga, Paul Butcher
Rated G
Watching "My Nighbor Totoro" is like taking a trip back to childhood. It's a sweet, innocent and positively adorable movie about discovering the world around you. There are no villains in this movie, and the only monsters in it are nothing more than big, fuzzy best friends. Rather than chase you, they'll allow you to take a nap on their belly or fly you around the countryside.
Mei (Elle Fanning) and Satsuki Kusakabe (Dakota Fanning) are moving to the countryside with their father (Daly). Their mother (Salonga) is in the hospital for an extended period, and they've moved to be closer to her. The town they moved to is as sweet as they come, with the mother hen-like Granny (Carroll) living nearby and a little boy named Kanta (Butcher), who is so clueless and nervous about girls that he can't even say anything to Satsuki. There's also Totoro (Frank Welker), a mysterious creature that only Mei and Satsuki can see.
Recently, I criticized Hayao Miyazaki's later film "Porco Rosso" for not having much of a plot. Yet I'm praising "My Neighbor Totoro" for the exact same thing. Hypocritical? Not really. "My Neighbor Totoro" isn't about plot (at least not one of a conventional kind). It simply follows th3ese two special little girls as they explore the world they live in. That's not to say that nothing happens in this movie. Far from it. It's just that this movie is about discovery rather than story.
Real-life sisters Elle and Dakota Fanning are perfectly cast as Mei and Satsuki. Both are talented actresses, and they give weight and depth to characters that initially seem one-note. Mei, for example, is an energetic four-year-old who worships her older sister and misses her mother. Satsuki is a little more mature, having to grow up faster than anyone would have liked. Yet, she has not been afflicted with the cynicism that comes with adulthood. Tim Daly plays the best movie dad next to Eugene Levy in "American Pie." The key to his performance is that he can make even the most mundane thing seem like a great adventure to a little girl. Characters named Granny don't get any more loving than Pat Carroll's character. If every neighborhood had a little old lady this awesome, there wouldn't be a need for Boy Scouts.
The main appeal of this movie is its nostalgia factor. I'm not talking about the sepia-toned movies like "The Natural" or "Chariots of Fire." I'm talking about how it almost literally takes us back to early childhood. Mei, in particular, is identifiable in this way. For example, she tries to imitate everything Satsuki does even if she doesn't understand why Satsuki is doing it. Or the time when she asks her father if she looks like a big girl and then replies that she's "off to run some errands." Watch Mei's reaction when she shows up at Satsuki's school. Who hasn't worn that pout at that age?
"My Neighbor Totoro" had trouble getting made. It was deemed too big of a risk, so it was shown before "Grave of the Fireflies." That actually backfired, as people left this movie without seeing Isao Takahata's film. And who can blame them? "My Neighbor Totoro" will leave everyone elated, while "Grave of the Fireflies" is as draining as "Saving Private Ryan." Had they reversed the order, it would have worked. Even still, "My Neighbor Totoro" didn't start making a profit until two years after its release, when toy versions of the monster hit store shelves. The creature has since become the logo of Studio Ghibli.
I really can't explain how great this movie is. This is one of the sweetest, most adorable movies I've ever seen. Free from cynicism, gross humor, and crass marketing. It's one of Miyazaki's best, and an absolute treat for animation lovers, kids, and everyone in between. Family movies don't get much better than this.
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