My Neighbor Totoro is a Studio Ghibli classic released in 1988. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. This film came after the Nausicaa of the Valley World (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986). You will be surprised to know that My Neighbor Totoro doubled-feature the Grave of the Flies in Japan. This is because it was considered a big financial risk at that time.
With Miyazaki’s conviction, My Neighbor Totoro was released and it became a hit instantly. This set Miyazaki on the road to success. The story started with two daughters (Satsuki and Mei) and their dealings with spirits. Mei, the younger sister, followed two small spirits that lead her through a large camphor tree where Totoro lives.
He is pictured as a giant furry object or a rabbit-like spirit. He helped the family reunite after Mei got lost. Totoro will always be a special spirit. If you haven’t seen him, it is time to know what makes him special.
He is the physical embodiment of the spirit of the forest
Totoro, in a sense, is the physical embodiment of the spirit of the forest. This greatly shows the Shinto influence in the film. You will also see a rope on Totoro’s tree. It is called a shimenawa, which is made of paper ribbons and rice straw. This signifies that Totoro’s tree is sacred.
He is the combination of several animals
Totoro is from the imagination of Miyazaki. He is adorable and he is the combination of several animals. Though he is a spirit of the forest, he is not a traditional Japanese character. Totoro is a mixture of several animals like Tanukis (Japanese raccoon dog), cat (facial expression and pointy ears) and owl (his chevron markings).
He is one of the best-animated film characters
All love Totoro. In fact, there was a list generated by Empire magazine in 2010 – 50 Best Animated Film Characters List. Totoro landed on the 18th spot. Totoro is also listed on IGN’s Top 25 Anime Characters; he was ranked 24th.
He became the studio mascot
Due to his popularity, he was turned into the studio mascot. Even though there is no follow-up, many audiences are persistently looking for Totoro in different films and video games. He even appeared in Toy Story 3 as a plush doll.
There are other Totoros or spirits of the forest
You should know that there are other Totoros in the film – all looking cute and adorable. There’s the little Totoro, which is usually white and often called Chibi-Totoro. There’s medium Totoro, which is blue and often called Chuu-Totoro. The big Totoro, which is gray, is called Oh-Totoro. When you hear people say Totoro, it usually refers to the big Totoro. If you wonder if there are more Totoros, the answer lies in the watercolor pictures that Miyazaki painted; it showed a whole catbus-load of Totoros.
My Neighbor Totoro, in general, is simple and childlike but it is moving. It depicts the joys and terrors of childhood. It was acclaimed therefore it amassed worldwide fame in the years after its release.
