Though I have interest in both children's literature and film, and took a class on Japanese film, somehow I missed out on this gem.
Roger Ebert hits the nail on the head when he writes that "My Neighbor Totoro is based on experience, situation and exploration — not on conflict and threat." Unlike the majority of children's movies (and to be fair, I don't watch that many) this is not a movie where the plucky heroines must defeat any sort of evil, find any sort of treasure, or any other standard plot. Instead, it is a movie about growing up, about sibling relationships, and about the wonder of childhood.
Totoro itself (the gender of the title character is never made clear) is a huge, hilariously aloof forest spirit who, for this viewer, anyway, served as a revealing metaphor for the divine. While watching Totoro perform (with his two tiny colleagues) a mystical growing dance, while watching him delight in the drops of rain on his umbrella, and while watching him roar, not in menace, but... well, it's not always clear why Totoro is roaring, but while watching all of these activities, it reminds me of the Christian triune God: Mysterious, joyful, and very much embodied in the world of humans, even as It transcends it.
1 comment:
I loved Totoro growing up! The movie seems to be a childhood staple of any Asian-American of our generation. And I agree 100% with Ebert's description of the "plot". I find that many of Miyazaki's movies are made with less of a plot in mind than of a series of situations, and character development is more important than conflict resolution. Kiki's Delivery Service and Ponyo come to mind, too.
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