I bought My Neighbor Totoro on a whim not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. We tend to watch our videos over and over (as three year old will), so I've seen this one several times already. It's a sweet story with surreal elements, I guess most animated children's videos are. My little one likes the Cat Bus, "Run, run, run!" she laughs and screams. I particularly like the the settings which depict rural Japan in the 1950s. The representation of nature and the seasons are very beautifully rendered, although a little disjointed from the anime style drawing of the character's.
The video came with a bonus disc in which Hayao Miyazaki and other members of Studio Ghibli discuss the making of the movie and The Totoro Forest Foundation. The foundation was created to preserve the forests and natural habitat of the Sayama Hills which were the inspiration for the film. It was inspiring to see the conservation efforts and I love hearing people discuss why they create what they do, so I am quite pleased with my impulse buy.
4 comments:
This is actually one of our favorites! Miyazaki is wonderful. Another one of his movies that are good for little ones is Kiki's Delivery Service and also Ponyo. And we like The Cat Returns, which he wrote, but didn't direct. I had never heard of him until a few years ago and now we're hooked. He has also made some brilliant movies that might be for her when she gets a bit older - Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle (which we watch now) and even older, Princess Mononoke. Enjoy!
p.s. his films always have a nature/conservation element which I love.
I love this film. I think it's really special. If you like the nature element you should totally watch Nausicaa Valley of The Wind. Also a film that is very moving but definatly for adults even though it's an animated feature is the heart breaking Grave of the Fire Flies, Spielberg called it the most heart breaking war movie the year he brought out Schindler's List. I love Ghibli films, I think they are beautiful and fantastic stories.
Thanks xoxoxoe and quietly colorful for the film recommendations. I love it when people recommend things that you might never think of or find on your own. Can't wait to check these out.
Post a Comment