Synopsis : Tonari no Totoro

Tonari no Totoro

Satsuke and Mei waiting thier father at bus stop

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. To their surprise they find that they share this home with some these unusual creatures, when they stumble into the hollow of a giant camphor tree and meet a giant furry character called Totoro. They soon be friend these Totoros, and have several magical scene.

Mei chasing the small Totoros into the champhor tree

Totoro and his friends cannot be seen by adults, only by the children who have the capacity to believe in them. All is well with the two young girls until a telegram arrives from the hospital told that their mother won't be visiting them as planned. Adventure presides when Mei decides to run off to Shichikokuyama Hospital, with some corn that she picked from the neighbour’s (bachan) garden after hears that her mother's condition may be worsening. When everyone realizes she's missing, only Totoro knows how to find her. Totoro is called to the rescue when trouble occurs.

Mei and Satsuke with "meowing" cat bus on a tree looking to thier parents at hospital

One thing that really attached me to this movie is the freedom, sincerity and variety of emotional expression the characters use especially the two young girls and Totoro, their furry forest friend. There are lot of magical adventures to be found in this movie, from flying with umbrellas to catching a giant living and "meowing" cat bus that leaps from tree top to tree top to get around.

Although the girls' mother is in the hospital, and the youngest girl, Mei, gets lost and found, there is nothing disturbing about this movie. It is very gentle. The animation is colourful and expressionating, and the characters are youthful, lovable, and free spirited.