Product Description

Critically acclaimed as one of the most delightful and charming family films ever, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a stunning animated treat full of magical adventure from Hayao Miyazaki. Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro, who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters -- including a cat that doubles as a bus! -- and takes them on an incredible journey. Full of wonder and heart, this spectacular 2-disc set features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a magical experience for the whole family! © 1988 Nibariki • G

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #600 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-07
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: English, Japanese
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
My Neighbor Totoro is that rare delight, a family film that appeals to children and adults alike. While their mother is in the hospital, 10-year-old Satsuki and 4-year-old Mei move into an old-fashioned house in the country with their professor father. At the foot of an enormous camphor tree, Mei discovers the nest of King Totoro, a giant forest spirit who resembles an enormous bunny rabbit. Mei and Satsuki learn that Totoro makes the trees grow, and when he flies over the countryside or roars in his thunderous voice, the winds blow. Totoro becomes the protector of the two sisters, watching over them when they wait for their father, and carrying them over the forests on an enchanted journey. When the children worry about their mother, Totoro sends them to visit her via a Catbus, a magical, multilegged creature with a grin the Cheshire Cat might envy.

Unlike many cartoon children, Satsuki and Mei are neither smart-alecky nor cloyingly saccharine. They are credible kids: bright, energetic, silly, helpful, and occasionally impatient. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki makes the viewer believe the two sisters love each other in a way no American feature has ever achieved. My Neighbor Totoro is enormously popular in Japan, and some of the character merchandise has begun to appear in America. The film has also inspired a Japanese environmental group to buy a Totoro Forest preserve in the Saitama Prefecture, where Miyazaki's film is set. --Charles Solomon

On the DVD
For years, Hayao Miyazaki's beloved feature My Neighbor Totoro was available only in a pan-and-scan transfer with an adequate but undistinguished English translation and dub; this widescreen version from Disney Home Video offers livelier performances and a more vivid translation. In the old dub, the mysterious little black creatures who inhabit the empty farmhouse were called "dust bunnies," although that term refers to the clumps of dust that form under furniture. The new translation of "soot gremlins" suggests what the little beings really are. As Satsuki and Mei, Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning are lively and believable without being saccharine; Tim Daly gives a warmly understated performance as their patient father. The new transfer captures the subtle palette of Miyazaki's vanished natural world. More than ever, My Neighbor Totoro is a magical film that family members of every age can enjoy. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Antidote to Disney
This is not only one of my favorite childrens films, it's one of my favorite films period. This movie is truly magical. It achieves what Disney movies never do -- a wonderful story without the need to resort to evil villains or wise-cracking side kicks. In fact, two of the things I find most striking and refreshing about My Neighbor Totoro is the use of images rather than dialogue to propel the plot and the slower, almost contemplative, pacing of the action. (This is one children's movie that won't blare from your TV or yammer at your children!) The first time I saw this movie I watched a friend's pirated VHS tape in Japanese. I was instantly mesmerized and was completely able to follow the story, despite the fact that I did not understand a word the characters said.

And don't be put off because it is "japanese animation." This is not your father's japanese animation. The images of the tranquil countryside are sumptuous. Miazaki's attention to the little details of life, like a leaf floating in a stream or raindrops tapping an umbrella, evoke the simpler, purer times of childhood. The children's discovery of the totoro spirits in the old camphor tree recalls a time in every child's life when magic seems possible in the mundane world. As with other Miyazaki films, there is a thrilling flying sequence. However, this film is more appropriate for younger viewers than most of his other works, some of which are decidedly adult in nature despite the fact that they are animated.

As the mother of a toddler, I really appreciate the refusal to rely on cliche villians to keep the plot moving. However, I should warn other parents considering this video that the conflicts used to keep the plot moving -- the children's discovery of and search for the dust bunny and totoro spirits and Mei's desire to see her sick mother in the hospital which causes her to lose her way in the countryside -- might be upsetting to the littlest viewers without some parental company and discussion. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie whether you're 2 or 200.

This is a PERFECT movie; this DVD release is NOT
If you are a fan of Totoro (and what right thinking individual isn't!) then you may want to leave this DVD release on the shelf come December 3...In Japan, Totoro was graced with a spectacular DVD release featuing multiple dialog and subtitled options, as well as featurettes, artwork, and options for both full screen and letterbox versions...i the meantime, I would recommend this version ONLY to friends with small children who have not seen the film before. The print quality of the VHS version was quite good and the dubbing job is excellent, considering the shabby treatment that most Japanese animated films recieve. This is, first and foremost, a film of remarkable beauty and warmth. It is precious and timeless. By all means take advantage of the low price and share it with children. But for your own collection, you will most certainly want to wait for the (cross your fingers and send those letters now) Disney Edition.

Five-star film; shoddy DVD
It's obvious that Fox rushed this DVD out to capitalize on the acclaim for "Spirited Away" (and to cash in before their video rights lapse), as this is the shoddiest treatment imaginable, a disgrace considering that "Totoro" is one of the greatest animated films ever made. The pan-and-scan transfer is the exact same one as on the VHS edition (released nine years ago!), and there are no improvements in image quality-- this is one of the fuzziest-looking DVD's I've seen, and it doesn't begin to do justice to the detail of Miyazaki's art. The lack of a widescreen transfer hurts the film greatly-- notice how, in the scene where Mei first meets Totoro, most of his head disappears off the left side of the screen when he yawns, or how the scene where Mei runs around picking flowers loses almost half the original image. The dubbing is perfectly adequate (though nowhere near as good as the job John Lasseter did on "Spirited Away"), but really, all anime DVD's ought to be dual-language-- those of us who prefer the original Japanese audio track should have the choice available.

The only reason I'm giving this disc more than one star is because any edition of "Totoro" is better than not having "Totoro" available at all. But if you have a player capable of playing Region 2 discs, get the Studio Ghibli import instead; it includes both the English and Japanese audio tracks (the subtitles are really dubtitles, but that's a minor inconvenience), a beautiful widescreen transfer, and a second disc filled with extras. Until Disney gets the rights and issues a comparable Region 1 edition, the Japanese release is the only way to truly experience this wonderful film.