Tonari no Totoro

Satsuke and Mei

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 Totoros. They soon befriend these Totoros and have several magical adventures.

This is a gentle, and enchanting film which is easy to fall in love with because the theme is mystical and imaginative. One thing that really attached me to this film is the freedom, sincerity and variety of emotional expression the characters used, especially Satsuke, Mei and Totoro, the furry forest friend.

There are a lot of magical adventures to be found in this film from flying with umbrellas to catching a giant living cheshire cat bus that leaps from three top to tree top to get around. A very gentle film with colorful and expressionate animation; youthful, lovable and free spirited characters.

cheshire cat bus that leaps around

flying with umbrellas

The forest spirit, Totoro had also made a huge cultural impact to have appeared in non-Japanese works such as Comedy Central's South Park and Pixar's Toy Story 3.

Totoro as seen in Toy Story 3

It made me feel like a kid again every time I watch this film, thanks to the lively characters.