DISNEY - MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO(1988)
Another Disney presentation of Japan's great animator,
Hayao Miyazaki!! This is fairly well aimed at the younger
set, but still a great story for adults!! B
A review from Amazon:
My Neighbor Totoro is that rare delight, a family film that
appeals to children and adults alike. While their mother is
in the hospital, 10-year-old Satsuki and 4-year-old Mei move
into an old-fashioned house in the country with their professor
father. At the foot of an enormous camphor tree, Mei discovers
the nest of King Totoro, a giant forest spirit who resembles an
enormous bunny rabbit. Mei and Satsuki learn that Totoro
makes the trees grow, and when he flies over the countryside
or roars in his thunderous voice, the winds blow. Totoro
becomes the protector of the two sisters, watching over them
when they wait for their father, and carrying them over the
forests on an enchanted journey. When the children worry
about their mother, Totoro sends them to visit her via a
Catbus, a magical, multilegged creature with a grin the
Cheshire Cat might envy.
Unlike many cartoon children, Satsuki and Mei are neither
smart-alecky nor cloyingly saccharine. They are credible kids:
bright, energetic, silly, helpful, and occasionally impatient.
Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki makes the viewer believe the two
sisters love each other in a way no American feature has ever
achieved. My Neighbor Totoro is enormously popular in Japan,
and some of the character merchandise has begun to appear
in America. The film has also inspired a Japanese environmental
group to buy a Totoro Forest preserve in the Saitama Prefecture,
where Miyazaki's film is set. --Charles Solomon