Shadow Reviews #22: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Instructions

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐ My Neighbor Totoro is a classic Studio Ghibli film and it’s a great example of children’s anime. It’s a heartwarming story of the interactions between a creature and two young children as they walk through a vulnerable time in their lives. And I could give a lot of general ideas about the story, but let me cut straight to the point: story seem familiar? That’s because it is. And as you read this, you probably notice the star rating and my lack of enthusiasm for the film. Now, I must admit, 3 stars seems surprisingly low for a Ghibli film – and I am reluctant to give it such a rating. However, when looked at from a critical standpoint, My Neighbor Totoro is not the greatest Ghibli film – and while that may be controversial given its iconic status, I’ll try my best to explain why, in my humble opinion. Like all Ghibli films, the animation is a stunning 5 stars. I never find any flaws with the studio’s iconic hand-drawn style – it’s a true feast for the eyes. There’s something about their work that stands out from other anime films – every frame is a treat and its enjoyable to watch. The animation also brings the characters to life – which is a large part of the film’s experience. In my opinion, this film relies a lot on experience over plot – which is fair considering this is a children’s film. The characters are relatively generic, I didn’t find an incredible complexity in their development, but then again, this is a children’s film at its heart. Kids don’t need – nor do they really appreciate – complex Ulysses-level characters. They showed human emotions and that’s what matters for the movie. The dad was a clever addition to the film and really represents the kind aspect of a father figure – an individual who remembers what it was like to be a child. And a mom going through an illness especially resonated with my own personal life; I believe there’s plenty of children going through similar situations and this movie will speak to them. One criticism I have of the movie is that Totoro’s character is heavily underfeatured in the film despite being the titular character. In fact, Totoro appears in precisely 4 scenes: his introductory scene, the iconic rain scene that you may be familiar with, the tree growing scene, and the climax of the movie. I’m certain that there’s less than 10 minutes of screentime for Totoro himself, which certainly underdelivers on the promise of the movie. Does this have a positive effect on the tone of the film? Yes – as it teaches you to appreciate the times you have with imagination and presents imagination as imagination is: a fleeting yet memorable experience. Totoro – whether real or not – is a fond memory and core backbone behind the motivations and drive of the two main characters. Nevertheless, this still detracts from the power of the movie by reducing its greatest asset – Totoro. In fact, this leads into my next point. Most of the film depicts the main characters dealing with the effects of having an ill mother, a potentially relatable theme. The plot events all derive from that situation, whether implicitly or explicitly. However, the film drags on innocently enough for most of the duration. Finally, in the third act, we receive a genuinely terrifying sequence of events followed by a satisfactory ending – one of which that I have no complaints for. But most of the film isn’t quite interesting or following a particular plot – rather the film relies on experience over story, which is an interesting but flawed technique. So, My Neighbor Totoro is a good movie, and I would recommend a watch. Just know – it’s not the greatest film to come out of Studio Ghibli, contrary to popular expectations. What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Metacritic: 86, "universal acclaim"