Also known as
Tonari no Totoro
Lists
- ranked 275 in Empire 500 Greatest Movies (2008)
- ranked 396 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- ranked 431 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 458 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- one of Kinema Junpo Best Film Winners
- one of Mainichi Film Concours Best Film Winners
- one of Movies You Can Or Have Watched Over and Over
Two young girls move with their father to an old house in the countryside; their mother is in the hospital. Mei, the younger girl, discovers that the neighboring forest is home to a enormous, furry nature spirit that she dubs Totoro.
That's about it for the plot, because nothing really happens. It's not that kind of film. It's just a beautiful, placid look at some of life's simple pleasures: watching a sapling sprout, listening to the rain, the love of a family.
I used to hate this, but it's become my favourite Miyazaki: it's childlike wonder, distilled.