Hayao Miyazaki:
Tonari no Totoro / My neighbor Totoro
Voice cast:
Hitoshi Takagi - Totoro
Noriko Hidaka - Satsuki Kusakabe
Chika Sakamoto - Mei Kusakabe
Shigesato Itoi - Tatsuo Kusakabe (Satsuki & Mei's Father)
Sumi Shimamoto - Yasuko Kusakabe (Satsuki & Mei's Mother)
Toshiyuki Amagasa - Kanta
Tanie Kitabayashi - Kanta's Grandmother
Yûko Maruyama - Kanta's Mother
Masashi Hirose - Kanta's Father
Machiko Washio - Teacher
1988 Japan
A cheerful, Japanese movie about life of Kusakabe's family. Everyone will become in good mood after seeing this.
Tonari no Totoro was another masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is very beautifully and made by amazing aesthetic talents of Japan.
Miyazaki captures audience with very unique and vivid characters. Totoro, a big bear like character became almost pikachu- like idol in Japan. This simplicity and cuteness of the creatures, as well as sensitive and well written storyline gave Tonari no Totoro it's beautiful spirit.
The story tells about Japanese family's life who move to the country side. Mei is younger daughter of Satsuki. The mother of the family is in hospital, and children are worried of her condition. In the country side, the children discover, spirit-like creatures, like cat-bus and very Totoro himself. They are spirits of the nature, and they are full of warmth and special hope.
As seen before in many other Japanese animation movies, Miyazaki is handling the relationship between humans and nature. Totoro's character is big and strong, like some old, huge tree.
This movie is very beautiful and wonderful to watch with children.
