Beautifully animated fantasy about friendship fit for all.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
The main characters' mother is sick in the hospital, and the subject of her dying comes up. Their new house is "haunted" and has tiny little "soot sprites" that crawl around and creep out the girls at first. A young girl gets lost, and the possibility of her drowning is discussed. (A nearby lake is dredged.) A mother mistreats her young son, calling him "a dirty kid" and "fool" and hitting his head. Ghosts are frequently mentioned. Totoro is a forest spirit, or a "troll," who roars and shows teeth—which might initially intimidate younger viewers—but he's quickly revealed to be a gentle, good friend.
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Encourages kids to be compassionate to their neighbors and loving toward their parents. Friendship is a strong theme, as is the powerful bonds of family.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Satsuki is a loving, responsible older sister who's willing to help and look out for her younger sister, even when they don't get along. Both girls are courageous, independent, and curious. Totoro is kind and helpful.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, the story spotlights Japanese culture. Two young sisters, 4-year-old Mei and 10-year-old Satsuki, live with their father, who manages their care as a single working parent while their mother is in a hospital. An elder "granny" helps care for the younger daughter while the older one attends school. Though one scene shows a young Japanese girl "whooping" and doing a powwow dance, Japanese traditions and culture are celebrated, and folklore is based on Indigenous Japanese beliefs (Shintoism) that emphasize harmony between nature and humans.
Parents need to know that My Neighbor Totoro is a Japanese anime written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. It's about two young sisters (voiced by Noriko Hidaka and Chika Sakamoto in the original version and Dakota and Elle Fanning in the English dub) who meet wood spirits, including the large, friendly Totoro (Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker). There are slightly creepy "dust sprites" that appear in the house at first, but they eventually disappear. Totoro himself might look and sound a bit odd, but he's quite sweet and gentle. The main girl characters have an ill mother with an unnamed disease, but the scenes set in the hospital aren't sad or depressing. Some parents may not feel comfortable with the amount of freedom the children have to wander off alone, either around their neighborhood, the surrounding forest, or on a long walk to visit their mother. Characters demonstrate courage, curiosity, and compassion. The film includes Indigenous Japanese beliefs (Shintoism), which revolve around land and spirits. Overall, this is a family film in the truest sense, appealing to moviegoers young and old alike. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
A kid's film where there is no antagonist. Kids being able to express themselves and expend their personalities into a world of nature that accepts them. Totoro is benign in his bigness and does not default into the cutesy Fievel syndrome that was popular in the 1980s. A slow-paced film that takes children's feelings seriously and reveals how much better it is to believe and to love each other and finds beauty in the mundane and in community. My four year old loves it and yells for Totoro at least 4 or 5 times a week.
I love having something with great story, full of imagination and magic but not fast paced or crazy. My kids really enjoyed it and it made for a fantastic family movie night.
Look forward to showing my class this year.
What's the Story?
In MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, it's 1958 Japan, and 4-year-old Mei (voiced by Chika Sakamoto in the original version and Elle Fanning in the English dub) and 10-year-old Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka/Dakota Fanning) move to the countryside with their father where their mother is hospitalized with a long-term illness. As they get settled into their new home, the girls discover there are magical creatures, like dust sprites, that inhabit their house and neighborhood. One day, Mei sees two little rabbit-like creatures and follows them through the forest, where she meets a much larger version of the creature, whom she calls "Totoro." Eventually Satsuki also meets Totoro (Hitoshi Takagi/Frank Welker), who also introduces the girls to a magical soaring cat-bus. Totoro, who is "keeper of the forest," aids Satsuki and her father when Mei decides to walk to the hospital alone to present her mother with a fresh ear of corn.
For fans of Miyazaki's later work who haven't had the chance to check out his classics, this is a perfect movie to start. My Neighbor Totoro is considered Miyazaki's breakthrough film. Re-released and dubbed in English for a wider audience by Disney, the movie introduced Americans unfamiliar with anime to Miyazaki's signature themes: strong, independent girls as protagonists; whimsical creatures; an imaginative story; and a focus on how families interact with each other and their surrounding environment.
This isn't a spellbinding all-out adventure like Spirited Away or even the gentler journey that is Ponyo, but its leisurely paced story and lushly detailed visuals are part of the charm. Unlike the majority of animated movies, this isn't full of pop-culture or consumerist references that, while funny when handled correctly, can also bog down animated films or zap them of their childlike fantasy. Satsuki and Mei need Totoro to help them through a difficult time in their lives—new home, sick mother—and it's quite lovely to see the sweet little moments that cement their friendship. It's a shame more family movies aren't as simple and beautiful as My Neighbor Totoro.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Mei and Satsuki aren't afraid of Totoro in My Neighbor Totoro. Why do you think they're able to befriend him so easily? How does he help them and their family?
How do the girls deal with their mother's sickness? Does her hospitalization affect the sisters differently?
What is the movie's animation style like? How are the humans depicted? Are the Totoros and the cat-bus scary-looking? What makes it obvious they're gentle?
Why do you think this movie is considered an anime classic? How is it different from the majority of Hollywood animated movies?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
