My Neighbour Totoro

Featuring the voices of: Chika Sakamoto, Noriko Hidaka, Toshiyuki Amagasa, Hitoshi Katagi | Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

My Neighbour Totoro, like many of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, deals with the discovery of a fantastical hidden world by young children – in this case sisters Mei and Satsuki, who have just moved to the country with their father, awaiting their mother’s return from hospital. They come across a group of forest spirits – among them the titular gigantic ball of fur, Totoro – and bond with them over the course of the film.

Those looking for fast-paced action and battles of man vs. nature will be sorely disappointed here; Totoro is a slow burning, character-based drama, and though the animation is typically stunning – the sky-bound ballet through a gigantic, rapidly growing tree the characters take us on is particularly awe-inspiring – it’s the emotional core of Satsuki and Mei...