Ghibling - 2

"My Neighbor Totoro"

This is the hit that really put Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli on the map. It's not like they were unknown before this, but this film was huge and Totoro has achieved while maybe not quite Mickey fame, definitely at least Foghorn Leghorn level recognition. The Totoro is a big, fuzzy, teddy bear lookin', tree spirit that, aside from being cute as all get out, is incredibly marketable. There are Totoro throw pillows, keychains, small dolls, big dolls, etc. And heck, I'm all for it. Why not? As fate would have it, this film was created alongside another Ghibli classic, "Grave of the Fireflies". A more opposed pair of films would be hard to even conceive and yet they both were successful and went a long way in establishing Ghibli as the closest thing to a household name anime will ever have.

And yet I had never seen "My Neighbor Totoro" until the other day. Why the heck not? Until recently the only version commercially available (region 1, anyway) was a full screen, why bother version from 20th Cent. Fox. I rag on 'em a lot, but Disney does some stuff well, and high on that list is getting their hands on good non-Disney material and marketing it well. Their DVD release is widescreen and has a very enjoyable new dub. The best part of the new dub was they got two sisters of proper age to play the two leads. They also recorded them together most of the time which gives their dialog a nice energy. It sounds like two sisters talking and laughing together because it is. Why don't they do that more often? Like I said, I don't know the other version, but I'm 99% sure you'll prefer this one.

The film itself is an odd experience. It is warm and gentle and deeply moving, but when asked to pin down why, I'm at a bit of a loss. This, more than any of his other films, is experiential. The plot can be described and characters explained, but doing that would do the film as a whole a disservice. The wonder and magic that is captured is not huge and grandiose but small and everyday. By keeping the magic toned down, it's easier to transpose it into the real world. The result is that when the magic does happen, it does not seem fake, but completely believable and wonderful.

While there is a hint of magic in the film, the true story of the film is firmly grounded in the realistic. The story examines two young girls going through a tough transition in their lives. They have moved to a new house which is always tough on kids, but on top of that, their mother is stuck in a hospital for an extended stay. That's a very stressful situation but the film doesn't paint the girls as sad or depressed. Outside of a couple scenes, they're laughing and playing as if they haven't a care in the world. That struck me as a little odd and made me want to classify the rest of the film as some sort of escapist fantasy that the girls have made up for themselves but that doesn't work either. I think the logic of the film comes from Miyazaki.

Nothing but respect for the man, and yet I must say he is a bit of a fruit cup (complete with half maraschino cherry) when it comes to nature, man, and our interaction. Not to the point where he's out actively looking for great big fuzzy tree spirits, but it goes beyond a simple appreciation of nature. I think in this film nature is given a character of solace and hope. There is a permanence to this nature that man can enjoy and rely upon when times are tough. So while it's not exactly a western sentiment, I think it's universally understandable.

Given that lofty sentiment though, Miyazaki doesn't take it too seriously in this film. In some of his other films (Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke) the environmental issues and the near deification of nature are blatant to near overbearing levels, but here it is kept light. Totoro may be a great spirit of nature, but he's still a big teddy bear with a goofy grin on his face. He never really "gets" the world of the girls, but he's there and he helps out.

That's really about it. This film isn't about anything particular, it doesn't raise any serious issues, the plot can be condensed to a short paragraph, and yet it works. It sounds very cheesy and I'm tempted to not write it for that very reason, but this is not a film that speaks to the head. It's a joyful experience that is good for the soul.