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Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, Pat Carroll ... see more see more... , Lisa Michelson , Cheryl Chase , Greg Snegoff , Alexandra Kenworthy , Natalie Core , Noriko Hidaka , Chika Sakamoto , Shigesato Itoi , Sumi Shimamoto , Tanie Kitabayashi , Hitoshi Takagi , Machiko Washio

This superbly animated children's tale is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, one of Japan's most beloved animators. The story follows Satsuke and Mei, two young girls who find that their new country home is ... read more read more...in a mystical forest inhabited by a menagerie of mystical creatures called Totoros. They befriend O Totoro, the biggest and eldest Totoro, who is also the king of the forest. As their girls' mother lies sick in the hospital, O Totoro brings the sisters on a magical adventure but also helps them to understand the realities of life. Like most films released by Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, this family-oriented feature has a powerful ecological theme. The English-language version of this film wasn't dubbed until many years later, explaining the presence of actors such as Dakota Fanning in the cast (who wasn't even born until 1994). ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi

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93% liked it

79,068 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

29 critics

G, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Release Date: January 1, 1988

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DVD Release Date: March 7, 2006

Stats: 8,571 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,571)

  • fb100002384654145
    January 18, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    Hayao Miyazaki's best film. The film's story beautifully combines slice-of-life with magical elements in a way that is seamless and delightfully original. Miyazaki manages to make the life and times of Satsuke and Mei(the two main characters) fascinating and joyful without rely... read moreing on villains or conflicts. My favorite scene in the film is the introduction of a cat-bus. The cat-bus is so crazy that it's just awesome. Like in most Miyazaki film's, this movie has an ecological theme, but it is done in a way that is both subtle and powerful without talking down to the audience. With beautifully crisp animation and an innocent story, "My Neighbor Totoro" is a great effort from Studio Ghibli that offers something for everyone.
  • RCCLBC
    January 10, 2012
    RCCLBC
    The story is not as well developed as some of the other Myazaki films, but it is enchanting in it's own way.
    I always enjoy going on these little journeys that the folks at Studio Ghibli put together.
    Some are better then others, but they are always enjoyable.
  • TomBowler
    January 1, 2012
    TomBowler
    Baffling, joyful and beautiful. Aka, pure Miyazaki. Full review later.
  • deano
    June 19, 2011
    deano
    This is one of the lovelist children's film ever made. Poetic, charming and cute. Featuring stunning animation, endearing personable characters, and a heart-tugging storyline that's simple, enchanting, and even dramatic. In fact, director Hayako Miyazaki makes us loving children.... read more In the movie, the two girls run, shout all time, laugh, cry and so on that touches us deep in our heart.
    The Japanese animated film has great direction, beautiful backgrounds and a mystical, pleasant aura throughout. There is no compulsory villain, no moral lessons, no standard blue print story, and the characters will definitely not break out a song.
    Miraculously, Totoro doesn't talk, and yet you can still understand what the lovable furry creature is thinking with his endearing actions. And the six-legged CatBus is undeniably one of the most imaginative characters in animation history.
  • FilmFanatik
    June 16, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Another Miyazaki animated masterpiece. While it isn't my favorite of his work, it's still quite beautiful and very enjoyable. Unfortunately, there are very great big gaps of nothing really happening, which tends to slow the thing down. The scenes with Totoro and the Catbus seem t... read moreo come straight out of Wonderland and are quite whimsical. I liked this one a lot and hope to see it again sometime. :)
  • harrycaul
    May 20, 2011
    harrycaul
    An absolutely charming animation from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. A university professor and his two young daughters move into an old house in the country. Left to her own devices while her father is at work, her mother is recovering from an illness in hospital and her elde... read morer sister is at school, Mei, the younger girl, explores her new surroundings, stumbling upon (literally) the local forest spirit, whom she names 'Totoro'. Such is the loving care that Miyazaki takes to craft a realistic setting for his magical tale to unfold in, the background detail is frequently at least as compelling as the story itself. There are some fascinating glimpses into the Japanese rural way of life, such as the kids being let out of school to go and work in the rice fields. A virtuoso balancing act, My Neighbor Totoro is sweet but never sickly and manages to convey some powerful ideas about ecological and communal harmony without being the least bit preachy. I also love the way that, though he is most likely only humouring the girls and feeding their imaginations, the father's explanations of the phenomena his daughters are witnessing invariably turn out to be true. Beautiful.
  • jennifxu
    April 28, 2011
    jennifxu
    I think liking this movie is contingent on whether you find Totoro cute. And I don't.
  • DreamExtractor
    April 19, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    I really enjoyed this, great animation and story, but nothing lives up to Spirited Away.
  • 3niR
    January 15, 2011
    3niR
    Another great animation from Ghibli. I've always wondered what's that first picture of a rabbit type animal with Studio Ghibli written on it. Now I know that it's Totoro! It's a great treat for your eyes. The story is simple and cute. Sometimes I feel Hayao Miyazaki's movies are ... read morebetter than the Disney!

    p.s: I've seen mothers showering with their daughters by being naked, but this is the first time I'm seeing a father instead. This is weird as the elder one is 10yrs old. Old enough to understand certain things like this.
  • ariuza1
    December 26, 2010
    ariuza1
    I loved this movie when I was young and I still love it today I thinks its amazing I cant really tell if this is my favorite movie by Miyazaki. I just think everything about is it fantastic from its story right down to the smallest things that no one sees. I love Totoro he is the... read more mascot for Studio Ghibli its impossible not to love him. I think out of all the Studio Ghibli Characters Totoro is my favorite.

    In 1956 Two young girls, Satsuke and her younger sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuke and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures called Totoro and his little followers. They soon become friends with the creature.

    I am not sure what I love more the story? The characters? Or just really everything. I have said it before and I will say it again Miyazaki has a massive imagination that just gives us some of the best movies ever made, how he can make such movies is beyond me. I think the characters Satsuke and Mei are extremely likeable I think my favourite character is Totoro is course but besides him maybe Mei. Really the other characters are great too.

    The quality is just amazing how they do it for the time is beyond me. The music and desinds of really everything is nothing short of epic. I also really liked that short Mei and the kitten bus same just epic.

    I come to a close it is really impossible to hate this movie.

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Critic Reviews

Leonard Klady
September 1, 2008
Leonard Klady, Variety

Obviously aimed at an international audience, the film evinces a disorienting combination of cultures that produces a nowhere land more confused than fascinating. Full Review

Stephen Holden
August 30, 2004
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Too much of the film...is taken up with stiff, mechanical chitchat. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 6, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Here is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 30, 2010
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

One of the best animated films ever made for families: it celebrates feminine sensitivity, the importance of the spirit world, respect for nature, and the pre-eminence of the spiritual practice of kin... Full Review

Sean Axmaker
March 25, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

While the fantasy and whimsy captures the playful imagination of children, a powerful undercurrent of emotional crisis grounds their experience... Full Review

Tim Brayton
March 17, 2010
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

A soft, approachable film, about simple, peaceful emotions and characters. That may sound unambitious, but it is the most ambitious thing of all. Full Review

Bill Gibron
March 6, 2010
Bill Gibron, PopMatters

Visually arresting and consistently compelling, this movie is magical. Full Review

Christian Blauvelt
March 4, 2010
Christian Blauvelt, Slant Magazine

Miyazaki's cinematic magic is so enchanting that even a slew of unremarkable extra features won't take the smile off your face. Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.
April 29, 2009
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

Miyazaki is a genius. Full Review

September 1, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The painted backgrounds are lush, realistic, and full of luxuriant foliage. The character animation, while stiff by Disney standards, is appropriate to the characters and expressive enough to bring th... Full Review

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My Neighbor Totoro Trivia

  • What is the name of the little girl with pigtails in 'My neighbor Totoro'?  Answer »
  • Hayao Miyazaki's anime, My Neighbor Totoro, couldn't have been made if it did not include what other anime movie attached to the contract?  Answer »
  • In the movie 'My Neighbor Totoro' what is that the strange creatures collect?  Answer »
  • In the anime move, My Neighbor Totoro, what type of animal is the bus?  Answer »
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