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English Dubbed Version

Version: Video

Rated: G

Length: 87 minutes

Main Cast: Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Sumi Shimamoto, Masashi Hirose, Hitoshi Takagi, Reiko Suzuki, Machiko Washio, Akiko Hiramatsu.

This is a bizarre piece of animation, but most anime is quite different from what we’re used to as Americans. "My Neighbor Totoro" is the story of two girls who move to a new home with their father. (Their mother is in the hospital, but it’s never explained as to what she has.) The new house is supposed to be haunted and the girls see some little black fluffy things go skittering about.

An old lady known as "Nanny" says that they’re soot sprites. The father called them dust bunnies. It doesn’t matter. It’s funny to watch Satsuki and Mei interact with the dust bunnies. Oddly enough, they scream at them in hopes of scaring them or other spirits. I guess this is natural as most people make noise when they’re scared.

Satsuki is the older sister and Mei (pronounced: May) is the younger one. I think they’re approx. 10 and 4 years old, respectively. There’s a boy next door named Kenta that always acts a little strange. It’s kind of funny the way he acts, but it’s hard to explain, so you’ll just have to see it.

The dust bunnies and an odd looking white bunny-thing drop acorns all over. While Satsuki is in school, Mei follows the white bunny, but it escapes under the house. It can become transparent because (I think) it’s supposed to be a ghost and only young children can see them. Anyway, it comes back out with a blue-bunny and she chases them through some bushes and into a tree where she meets Totoro, a giant grey bunny.

I think Totoro is cool. He roars a lot and has some really funny expressions. But this is a silly movie. Anyway, Satsuki misses out and doesn’t see Totoro until a rainy day when she tries to meet her father at the bus stop. He’s delayed, so she and Mei stand there for quite a while. Then Totoro shows up and we get to watch him experience his first umbrella. Yeah, it’s strange…then Totoro roars and the bus comes…sort of. It’s a Cat-bus (see the picture!)!! And Totoro gets in and rides off.

The kids’ mom is supposed to come home for a weekend, but then they get a telegram saying that it isn’t going to happen and they become worried. Mei runs off to give her mom an ear of corn and everyone tries to find her. Eventually, Satsuki seeks out Totoro and he calls the Cat-bus to locate Mei. Then they go and see how their mom is.

I like the movie. It’s not like Pokemon or Ranma ½ or any of the other comedy anime, but it’s pretty interesting.

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