‘Trees and people used to be good friends…’
I love bears, me. I love bears waving. I love bears sitting. I love that meme of the bear wearing a hat. I love all of it. I also love cats. My devotion to my cat George is both legendary and relentless. So, if someone is going to make a film about a huge bear-like creature named Totoro who goes on adventures then I’m going to watch it. And if that film also contains a huge cat/bus hybrid creature that transports mythical beasts across rural Japan than I’m going to watch that too. AND if that film is part of the Studio Ghibli roster and directed by master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, then you better believe I’m going to be expecting a joyous experience. And that is what I got…
Against the backdrop of their mother falling ill, two young girls move to the countryside in order to be closer to her. When they arrive however, they are met by a number of magical benevolent beasts that help to ease their transition from the town to the country. I haven’t included the names of the voice actors here because the version I watched was dubbed into English.
Ok, so My Neighbour Totoro takes a little while to get going, and it doesn’t quite scale the dizzy heights of Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle, but it is still a beautiful piece of filmmaking in its own right. Visually inventive, emotionally affecting without being overly sentimental, Miyazaki’s beloved fable is a fine addition to a canon that groans under the weight of inventiveness and ingenuity. I have often pondered whether the output of Pixar Animation Studios is cinema’s finest achievement… well, since I’ve become more invested in the imagination of Miyazaki and Ghibli, I’m not so sure about that statement anymore. There can be no higher praise.
My Neighbour Totoro is almost 35 years old at the time of writing and it remains as fresh and innovative as ever. A triumph.