Simplicity is beauty. Hayao Miyazaki must have had that in mind when he produced the animation My Neighbor Totoro. Unlike most of Studio Ghibli’s earlier films, it is less action packed. However, My Neighbor Totoro makes up for that by telling a story that is simple, comfortably paced and relates to the audience on a personal level.

The film evokes both the wonders and terrors one experiences as a child. When a child becomes an adult, things would never be the same. My Neighbor Totoro invokes nostalgia in its audience about the days when they were children.

Two sisters, Satsuki and May, move to the countryside when their mother is hospitalized due to an unspecified illness. In this strange new environment, they discover a magical wonderland filled with an adorable trio of furry, woodland guardians that only children could see.

Totoro itself, who looks like a combination between a kitten, rabbit and bear, is probably the most memorable character in the film.

May, the younger sister, stumbles into it’s dwelling which happens to be underneath the biggest, tallest tree in the forest. Locals call it the Camphor tree.

Totoro, the forest guardian, was slightly annoyed when May woke it up from its afternoon nap. But it soon warmed up to her, letting her sleep on its enormous furry belly.

Satsuki met Totoro too when she waited for her dad on a rainy day at a bus stop. Totoro was pleased when she offered it an umbrella and even more delighted with the sound of the rain falling on it. Happy with the gift, Totoro gave Satsuki a couple of acorn seeds.

Satsuki and May planted the seeds in their backyard when they got home. That night, Totoro paid them a visit and helped the little seeds grow into a gigantic Camphor tree. He then took them on a breath-taking flight around the countryside on his magic spinning top.

The creation of this entire amazing new world open only to the eyes of children must have needed a lot of creativity and hard work. The design of Totoro was unique, and it sticks in the mind of the audience. The other characters were beautifully designed and animated too. The animation has bright, cheerful and colorful visuals, creating a positive mood for the entire story.

May and Satsuki had their own individual qualities that were clearly shown as the film went along. May was naïve and charmingly innocent as she was very young. The older sister, Satsuki, is more mature and prone to negative thinking but she cares for her younger sister very much. When May went missing after Satsuki lost her temper, she searched high and low for her all over the countryside.

The music composed by Joe Hisaishi complemented the film with great effect. “Path Of The Wind” was a perfect accompaniment to the scene where Totoro makes the seeds grow into the Camphor tree. The music begins softy then gradually becomes louder and louder, just like a tree growing taller and taller!

This animation is a definite must watch. In fact, I would recommend all animations from Studio Ghibli to you. They have a penchant of producing great animations like Spirited Away that won an Oscar for best-animated feature.

Theon Leong