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It may have taken 18 years, but finally the wonderful My Neighbour Totoro has been granted a UK release courtesy of Optimum Asia as part of their excellent The Studio Ghibli Collection. Seeing Totoro for the first time is nothing short of a
revelation. I say this because no matter if you are a hardcore anime fan,
a newcomer or a casual filmgoer, you will still be stunned by the brilliance of this film.
Simply put it has something that no other film has but it is hard to say exactly
what – could it be magic? Well other Miyazaki films have ‘magic’ but
Totoro has it from start to finish. What Totoro has is something that
words cannot explain because a word has yet to have been invented to describe
what Totoro has that other films do not. The following paragraphs
hopefully will though. |
The plot of Totoro is a simple one. Two children - Sasuki and her younger sister Mei - move to the countryside with their father in order to be closer to their sick mother. Naturally the children go exploring in the vast country, poking into every nook and cranny they can of their house, garden and surrounding fields until they stumble across the 'Totoro' - fluffy creatures of various sizes, similar to bears. The children start play with the Totoro and other creatures such as the Catbus whenever they can. |
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The animation throughout the film is equally as
staggering as story, with marvellous colour and amazing detail
throughout. Although this is true of all the director's,
Hayao Miyazaki, films, with My Neighbour Totoro
the achievement feels even greater as Miyazaki films prior
featured future and fantasy worlds, where as in My Neighbour
Totoro the backgrounds are scarily realistic and proof that it
will be sometime before CGI can even come close to producing the
same effect. The animation is still stunning even eighteen
years on and will no doubt continue to be for many years. |
Put shortly, My Neighbour Totoro is
essential viewing for people of all ages that cannot fail to
astound. I've never seen any other film like it and it is
unlikely another film could match the magic that it manages to
create from start to finish. Fun for all the family is not a
phrase I would use often but it is definitely a phrase I would use
for My Neighbour Totoro. If you and your family are
growing tired of the textbook 'Hollywood CGI parody' film, then
venture outside and seek out Totoro. You will not be
disappointed.
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