My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro is one of the best Ghibli movies of all time - or even one of the best animated movies ever! This masterpiece introduced a character so widely beloved by Japanese people, just like the way Americans love Mickey Mouse. The movie's strongest points lie in its straightforwardness and the creative way Hayao Miyazaki managed to imply that our human world shares the same realm with lots of benevolent spirits that watch us out whenever we need it - a concept stemming from Japanese cultures into anthropomorphic forms.

In the story, the two siblings, Mei and Satsuki, moved to a countryside village so that they could take care of their invalid mom - currently recuperating in a hospital. During their exploration of this new house and the woodland surroundings, the two discover three "Totoro" - the forest spirits - that arrive in three different sizes: extra-large (a gray beast that has a huge smile with chest markings in boomerang shapes), medium (blue), and small (white).

Western audiences were not really prepared for Hayao Miyazaki's visions during the first release of the movie. Yet, surprisingly, Studio Troma was the one who introduced this movie to the Stateside and bought rights for its English-dubbed version in 1993.

A few years later, when Hayao Miyazaki had grown more acclaimed, this movie changed from its somewhat unpopular status back then into a classic we know today. My Neighbor Totoro is a film about wonder and discovery for the younger minds, challenging the prejudice that animated movies only rely on childish conflicts.

Year of Release: 1988

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%