Rating:

The whole mood of this movie is pretty happy-go-lucky. Once you see this one it goes without saying that it was made and meant for children. But it is adorable none the less. The two main characters, Sutzuki and Mai, are sisters who have recently moved to an old house in the country. Their father has moved them there thinking that when Sutzuki and Mai's mother is out of the hospital (yes, that's right, she's been very sick and hasn't been able to stay home.) and moves back in with them that she would do better there. Once they move there, Sutzuki and Mai encounter all sorts of mythical creatures. Such as the dust bunnies, or sprites, that live in very old empty houses and slowly turn everything to dust. And the giant tabby cat that is also a bus. And the greatest discovery of all, a giant Totoro that lives in the huge camper tree close to Mai and Sutzuki's new house. He's king of the forest. But if I give away too much the movie won't be worth watching will it?

The animation in this movie is really pretty good. If you've seen movies such as Kiki's Delivery Service you're right on the mark. As I said before, as a childrens movie it's utterly adorable. Being that I'm a teenager, I didn't find it too terribly great, but I have a six year old sister who loves it to death. My Neighbor Totoro is one of those movies that goes at a calm, comfortable pace. The voices in the American version are nerve grinding though. Many of the younger characters, especially Mai, were given high pitched voices. Add in the fact that both sisters tend to yell alot. I'm not going to lie, after watching it once or twice the movie becomes annoying. But on the other hand, it is one of the few anime movies that I don't have a problem just popping in the VCR for my little sister when I want her out of my hair for an hour or two.

These are not screenshots from the movie, these are more like posters. I will display screenshots as soon as I get ahold of some