“From
the Academy Award-winning
Studio Ghibli, My Neighbour Totoro is
a venture into childhood; cleverly woven
around sorrow and uplifting fantasy,
this —
whatever your age —is an
enchanting, must-see animé...”
DRAWING FROM EXPERIENCES and places from his own childhood, Hayao Miyazaki
once again brilliantly takes his viewers back into a world of fantasy —
this time to the days of childhood and innocence, where he weaves a magical
story around two young children.
Set in the Kanto area of Japan during the 1950s, My Neighbour Totoro
follows the lives of ten-year-old Satsuki (voice of Dakota Fanning) and her
four-year-old sister Mei (voice of Elle Fanning), whose mother (voice of Lea
Salonga) is in hospital and is, of course, sorely missed.
The children's father (voice of Tim Daly) moves the children from the busy city
into the peaceful countryside to be closer to the hospital; to a spooky old
house that has some strange inhabitants. He enlists the help of an elderly lady
(voice of Pat Carroll), whom everyone calls Granny. Luckily, Granny is kind
and sensitive and knows all about the folklore of the area and is able to reassure
the children.
“My Neighbour Totoro:
A wonderful, heart-
warming and visually
delightful animé...”
Satsuki
takes on the role of little mother to Mei, who — understandably
given the circumstances of not being able to see their mother —
is given to the odd tantrum. She is so inquisitive that she takes to wandering
off on her own and the children's adventures lead them to discover a mysterious
place of spirits and magic, where woodland creatures dwell around a huge Camphor
tree.
Satsuki and Mei are befriended by the big, fluffy Totoro, who takes them under
his wing and introduces them to the magical Bus-Cat (inspired by the shape-shifting
cat from Japanese folklore), who steps in to help them in times of trouble.
Only children can see these spirit creatures and Satsuki and Mei are given companionship
and protection as they explore their new neighbourhood.
A wonderful, heart-warming and visually delightful animé, My Neighbour Totoro
was conceived as a family film and it echoes with the joy of country living
and childhood dreams. The film unites the unique vision of Director Hayao Miyazaki
with an elegy to two ever-fading miracles — the fairytale world
of childhood and the poignancy of the disappearing countryside.
My Neighbour Totoro portrays perfectly the beauty of Japan and the nobility
of the innocent; capturing perfectly the ways and the movements of the children.
In a lovely countryside scene teeming with butterflies with pools full of tadpoles,
the Director excels himself as he rediscovers his love for the Japanese countryside.
He has recreated the emotions of a child to the natural world around him; showing
how a child from the city would react to the country and also to a missing parent.
Original music by Joe Hisaishi; cinematography by Mark Henley; and Writer and
Director is Hayao Miyazaki.
*
The
delightful My Neighbour Totoro from Studio Ghibli makes its UK Blu-ray
premiere and is out to own on Double Play on 12 November 2012. Feature Running
Time: 86 Minutes | English Language and Japanese With Subtitles | Catalogue
No: OPTBD0290 | RRP: £24.99.
Extras: Storyboards | Creating My Neighbour Totoro (new) | Creating
the Characters (new) | The Totoro Experience (new) | Producer's Perspective:
Creating Ghibli (new) | The Locations of Totoro (new) | Scoring Miyazaki (new)
| Behind The Microphone | Textless Opening | Textless Closing | Original Japanese
Theatrical Trailers | Studio Ghibli Collection Trailers. "My Neighbour Totoro… A wonderful, heart-warming and visually delightful
animé"— Maggie Woods, MotorBar
"Totoro's an out-and-out joy to watch; a subtle, atmospheric slice of childhood,
perfectly capturing the naïveté, the delight and the mystery that is part of
being young" —Empire
“From
the Academy Award-winning