July 19, 2003

My Neighbor Totoro

This film is by Hayao Miyazaki, as I mentioned yesterday. It opens with a family, consisting of a father and two small girls, moving into a new home in the country. We quickly learn that the mother of the children has been hospitalized, but what for is at best a vague notion. The house is infested upon their arrival with dust bunnies. An old woman, who answers to the name "Nanny", comes to help clean up the house and make it habitable for humans. She explains how to get rid of the intruders with laughter. They follow her sage advice. The creatures mean them no harm and so they retreat back into the forest. Other spirits also reside in the wood, most notably the huge and furry Totoro. Only animals and children are able to see him. Mae, who is five years old, has the first encounter with this creature while her sister Satsuki is away at school. It all begins with chasing down a trail of acorns...

This is such a charming story! It was well worth the $9.99 I paid for this DVD at Best Buy. Happily, it was not at all what I was expecting for that price.

-- CrystalShiloh @ 11:53 AM