The Timelessness of Totoro
Written By Electra Reid
The animated family fantasy that is My Neighbour Totoro is a recommended gateway drug to the entertaining, enriching, and naturally joyous universe of director Hayao Miyazaki. The timeless film has marked itself as a renowned classic, losing none of its power to inspire wonder as time goes on.
At its core, My Neighbor Totoro is a simple story surrounding schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, who move to the countryside with their father to be closer to their sick mother in a nearby hospital. They navigate their new country house and its unfamiliar surroundings, all the while discovering and befriending playful spirits.
My Neighbour Totoro is a story which relies on the adventures and relationships between characters - there are no antagonists, no conflicts, nothing scary and little beyond “mild peril”. Instead it provides real life experiences, which are not caused by anyone or anything. As an alternative, the film chooses to explore the relationship between humans, nature and spirits. The audience is encouraged to go on a surreal journey with the characters and make note of the perfect blending of reality and fantasy.
A major draw from My Neighbour Totoro is its encompassing of childhood innocence, explored through the unfiltered lens of the two sisters whose appealing dynamic makes the film truly enjoyable and relatable. Older sister Satsuke is placed in the role of the de facto mother, causing her to be at a stage where she is still learning about the real world and on the fringe of losing her innocence. Yet largely juxtaposed by this is Mei who is still enamored by the possibilities of the world and encourages her sister to embrace imagination. Although Mei is loud and insistent, her acts of kindness do not go unnoticed, such as when she places flowers alongside her fathers desk. Satsuke also displays kindness, making lunches and providing the safety and stability which Mei so seeks. Thus, the two need each other to prevent them from falling victim to the harsh realities of their world.
Important to note is the girls’ relationship with their father who lovingly supports them and does not question the fantastical stories of which they tell. Rather than fearing the seemingly “haunted” and “creepy” house in which they live, the girls are joyous when their father tells them to “try laughing” so that anything that scares them will “go away”. He nurtures their playfulness, encourages, and never doubts them.
Embodying warmth and wisdom is the woodland creature Totoro. Totoro exists as a metaphor to explain some of the mysteries of the world through the eyes of a child. His bellowing growls are responsible for the wind and his dancing rituals cause the plants to grow. Upon first meeting Totoro, Mei mistakes him for a giant soot gremlin instead of a forest sprite. Nonetheless, she is welcomed by his gentleness. This scene takes place with no dialogue, similar to how Satsuke first meets him waiting for a bus. In both instances Totoro provides guidance and sympathy.
Underlying the film is Shinto philosophy, an ancient belief where nature is revered in all its forms. According to this philosophy, every creature has a spirit. In one particular scene Mr Kasube - Mei and Satsuke’s father - tells them that “trees and spirits used to be good friends” and that they should give the tree a “nice greeting” to thank them for protecting and watching over the two girls. Mei and Satsuke are insatiably curious, respect nature and are excited to see anything from tadpoles to forest spirits. Although many Shinto shrines are seen in the film and are used for prayers, whether Totoro is a Shinto spirit or not remains a mystery. Miyazaki has insisted that Totoro is simply a woodland creature who eats acorns. Beyond that explanation, nothing else is given to the audience and the film - delightfully - does not require more.
Like many of Miyazaki’s other films, My Neighbour Totoro’s scenery encapsulates the beauty of the physical world. The movie’s setting is based on reality, more specifically it is set about an hour’s drive from Tokyo, in Sayama Hills, Tokorozawa. Miyazaki would frequently leave his home in the area to stroll around town and take in the lush scenery which inspired much of the film's backdrop. The film includes many beautiful sequences such as the children finding the stairs, visiting their mother and cleaning the house. The artwork brings such mundane, everyday occurrences to life assisted by its beautiful hand-drawn style. The cute and soft aesthetic perfectly meshes with the storyline providing an enchanting and awe inspiring world.
My Neighbor Totoro is not without its music; its custom orchestral soundtrack produced by Joe Hisaishi perfectly matches the themes of the film. The underscore is centered around a children's march which can noticeably be heard in the film’s opening song ‘Hey, let’s go’. However, the most notable and infamous sounds of Totoro are heavily featured in the middle of the song ‘A huge tree in the Tsukamori forest’. Such delicate notes are played by a solo flute - mirroring that which Totoro plays at night on a tree - and a harp. The music conveys benign spirituality, prelapsarian innocence and joyous discovery, all of which truly personify the essence of the forest.
Whilst My Neighbour Totoro has some subtle nostalgia for a simpler rural lifestyle, it is expressed through gorgeous animation rather than heavy narrative. Butterflies flutter, fish dart through streams and crops are plucked fresh from their stems. A fuzzy creature guides the forest and gets free rides on a multi-legged cat bus. It is impossible to watch My Neighbour Totoro without a smile across your face; it effortlessly demonstrates the inquisitiveness and explorative quantities of a child’s mind. The use of fantasy to deal with reality shows something essential to human life, something beyond our control yet more essential than mere imagination; the endless possibilities of childhood. In this way, the film has bottled the ethos of our lives and enriched it with lovely, magical creatures that we all wish we could meet and behold. My Neighbour Totoro is one of the most beloved films of all time, so if you crave adventure with a forest spirit, look no further.
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