My Neighbor Totoro [SteelBook] [Blu-ray]

Overview

This superbly animated children's tale is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, one of Japan's most beloved animators. The story follows Satsuke and Mei, two young girls who find that their new country home is in a mystical forest inhabited by a menagerie of mystical creatures called Totoros. They befriend O Totoro, the biggest and eldest Totoro, who is also the king of the forest. As their girls' mother lies sick in the hospital, O Totoro brings the sisters on a magical adventure but also helps them to understand the realities of life. Like most films released by Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, this family-oriented feature has a powerful ecological theme. The English-language version of this film wasn't dubbed until many years later, explaining the presence of actors such as Dakota Fanning in the cast (who wasn't even born until 1994).

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2020
UPC:	0826663209945
Original Release:	1988
Source:	Shout Factory
Language:	English
Sales rank:	1,129

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dakota Fanning	Satsuki,Mei
Tim Daly	Tatsuo Kusakabe,Voices
Lea Salonga	Yasuko Kusakabe
Pat Carroll	Kanta No Obasan
Frank Welker	Totoro
Lisa Michelson	Satsuki [Fox dub]
Cheryl Chase	Mei [Fox dub]
Greg Snegoff	Dad [Fox dub]
Alexandra Kenworthy	Mom [Fox dub]
Natalie Core	Nanny [Fox dub]
Noriko Hidaka	Satsuki
Chika Sakamoto	Mei
Shigesato Itoi	Dad
Sumi Shimamoto	Mom
Tanie Kitabayashi	Kanta's Grandmother
Hitoshi Takagi	Totoro
Machiko Washio	Teacher
Joe Hisaishi	Composer

Technical Credits

Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Toru Hara	Producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Suffused with the innocent wistfulness of childhood, My Neighbor Totoro (1988) is a delightful anime film that finds magic in everyday occurrences -- dust bunnies morph into frightening creatures, and the sound of rain on an umbrella becomes a joyous symphony. Master anime director Hayao Miyazaki spins the story of young Mei and Satsuki Kusakabe, two sisters who move with their family to a rural community in order to help their mother recuperate from an illness. After Mei discovers a large, smiling, roly-poly creature called Totoro in the nearby forest, the sisters explore a new world of imagination and adventure. Totoro shows them how dancing at night helps the trees grow, and how wind is created by spinning on treetops. A whimsical tale rich with joy and human kindness, My Neighbor Totoro reminds audiences that human beings are intrinsically connected with nature. In fact, Totoro has since inspired a group of environmentalists to preserve the rural lands of Tokorozawa, which serve not only as the movie's setting, but also as Miyazaki's home. The coexistence of humanity and the environment is a common theme for the director, who explores it further in the more adult-minded Princess Mononoke.