My Neighbor Tototro is (i think) for young children though the ANIMATION is fantastic and children will be enthused by the 'totoros' (i.e. giant furry things) Very awesome. I really enjoyed seeing it. I love all ghibli films, i also recommend: Nausicaa of the valley of the winds. It is my fav. film (NAUSICAA THAT IS!!!!!!)

Yes, there are totoros . . . and if there's one good Miyazaki film that any animation fan should see, My Neighbor Totoro is it.

I have seen both versions of the dub (the Fox dub and the recently released Disney dub), and I will say that both English versions each have their own pros and cons.

Fox Dub: The voices are perfect for the roles. Sure, Mei's high voice got annoying at times, but it suited her personality and character. The other characters were okay too, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Disney re-dub: Ah, great casting yet again. The Fanning sisters (Dakota Fanning as Satsuki and her younger sister as Mei) were perfectly cute as the lead girls, but it seemed almost the same as the original dub . . . Mei was still annoying, and it seemed like she was trying to imitate the original Fox dub at times. Still, very well done, just like Disney's other Studio Ghibli releases.

I have yet to watch the original Japanese version, but the dub is fine for me. I'm surprised that this is such a short film (with a running time of a little bit over an hour), and yet it shows so much . . . but the story is perfectly-timed. The emotion, the magic, the animation! *sigh* Dazzling!

What else is there to say? It's a heart-warming tale of childhood innocence, life, and magic. It's so beautifully told and animated . . . MUST-SEE!

four stars!

In this film, Miyazaki shows his genius in capturing the spirit of childhood, with its joys and terrors, its helplessness and determination, and above all its fantasy.

Does a plot even matter, when someone can so thoroughly make you feel what it's like to be a child again?

I admit it has been some time since I have seen this film and although I consider myself a Miyazaki fan, this one never really did it for me. I would even go so far as to say that it is my least favourite film of his films.

Now, I freely admit, this may have simply been a case where a film about childhood and all the magic of childhood just didn't connect with the cynical adult that I was when I saw it. The adult in me just had too many questions--who is Totoro? Where did the Catbus come from? Why is the youngest little girl so irritating??

Still, if I was looking for wholesome entertainment for young children, I think this would be one of the first films I'd reach for. Assuming that they too could get past the lack of glitz and Miyazaki's take-his-time pacing, it would probably be something that they would connect with much more than I ever could.

How do you tell a Miyazaki film from a Disney film? If it's got a little girl in it, an ugly old woman, and people fly, it's probably Miyazaki.

I've seen all of Miyazaki's movies now, nearly all of them have rated 3.5 stars. I feel he improved slightly with each movie from Laputa through to Princess Mononoke. This one just barely makes 3.5, whereas Kiki gets a solid 3.5, and Porco Rosso is straining for a 4.0.

If 'Nausicaa' seems a bit like a stab in the direction of 'Princess Mononoke', 'My Neighbor Tototoro' definately feels like a dress rehearsal for 'Spirited Away'. The similarities are mumerous. Each film starts with a (jerkily animated on twos) car trip to a rural location (this is weird. A lot of the character animation seems to be done on ones. What does he have against cars?), where a little girl subsequently drifts off from her parents and gets involved in with a lot of weird mythological or bizarre creatures. The major difference is the magic is a lot more benign in 'Totoro'. Where bits of 'Spirited Away' seem like an acid trip, this is more like a fantastical daydream, and there is rarely any sense of threat or danger.

It's a fairly slow moving movie, filled with sumptuously drawn backgrounds as usual. Unlike a lot of Miyazaki's films (which he basically makes up as he goes along) the plot doesn't start to fray at the edges at the end of this one - perhaps because it's one of his shortest films.

The sense of childhood wonder is very real and quite delightful, even if, I must say, there was a point, about 15 minutes in, where I very nearly switched off, because I just wanted Mei to STOP YELLING AND SCREAMING AND GIGGLING AND BEING SO $&^$@& ANNOYING.

But I got over it.

I don't know what it is with Miyazaki's films. All of them are good, most of them are very good, but nearly all of them just fall short of blowing me completely away. This is another one.

8 out of 10.

(this review is of the subtitled version)

I absolutly love this mvie! You can feel the emotion of the characters and somehow relate to them. This ih definatly a movie for those young and youg at heart. Wow that sounds sappy, but I'm serious!

Time to deliver that phrase: 'Miyazaki's done it again!'

Yes he has. Every work he comes out with is breathtaking, whether tinted with fantasy or completely realistic, everything that comes from him seems to be good. This is one of the best, though. Just enough fantasy and realism to balance it out.

A small family moves to the japanese countryside, the two children have adventures, and deal with their sick mom. Simple plot? So what?! It's great! Character development, the situations, the timing, everything.

Totoro especially. He's this big, cute bear/raccoon/mousy thing. That grin. That fluffiness. He's probably the greatest character in the movie, honestly, along with the cat bus. ^^

Along with the fantasy comes the realistic issues of the movie. The mother of the family is sick, and toward the end one of the children go missing, causing panic in the small neighborhood. It's not overdone though, and it's really another thing that makes the movie so good.

Anywho, go get this movie, now. And watch it. Don't stop till you fall asleep in your chair, then watch it some more!

My favorite anime of all time. I absolutely adore this movie. It is a delightful movie that everybody should see. It is filled with colorful characters that speak to your heart. It is a movie of absolute innocence. Nobody is deliberately put in danger. Not a drop of blood is spilled. Nobody leads messed up lives. However from deep beneath this movie's quiet gentleness, a surprising level of emotion creeps up on you, and you'll never see it coming until it's too late. And this is a good thing. By the end of the movie, I wasn't expecting to be reduced to near tears. However in many instances these are tears of happiness, stemming from a feeling of elation over watching a true masterpiece unfolding. But there are many good moments of sadness. This is a movie about a family, as normal a family as any, with all the emotional trappings, both good and bad. However don't go thinking that this movie has both feet grounded in realism. My Neighbor Totoro is a magical movie. Its animation recalls the graceful beauty of old school Disney. The characters are expressive and adorable and they speak to kids without talking down to them or burying them in cliches. True to Miyazaki form, My Neighbor Totoro is weird and whimsical yet lacks the silly hyperactivness found in many modern Disney movies. Music plays an important part in the movie but nobody bursts into song. The opening song is charming and adorable, as is the closing song. The rest of the music are instrumentals that are beautifully done and match the movie's gentle innocence.

Do you remember what it felt like to be a kid? When you could talk to imaginary friends only you could see and gaze up at the stars in wide-eyed wonder because they were magic? My Neighbor Totoro lets you revisit that. It takes your imagination and soars with it. It's charming, lovable, and funny and mixes the realistic with the wildly imaginative without having both clash with each other. It wins you with its giddy, lighthearted attitude and its wonderful, cliche free characters instead of hipness and pop culture references. By the end of the movie, you feel like a kid again, and your heart is soaring with the main characters and their lovable friends the Totoros. And don't be surprised if you cry a little because you've experienced something beautiful.