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Totoro
Angel Hernandez

My Neighbor Totoro
Hayao Miyazaki’s clever mind has created a story that will have you reminiscing your childhood for sure. Back when we could play outdoors until the street lights came on, or we heard our mother and father yelling our names for dinner. Sisters, Mei and Satsuki take to their new home in the country quite well, and meet some not so believable creatures such as soot sprites, a flying cat, and totoros, who always seem to show up in times of distress. There’s a refreshing innocence about this movie that can only be appreciated by the open-minded and child at heart.
My Neighbor Totoro is about two sisters who move to a house in countryside Japan with their father Tatsuo Kusakabi, to be closer to their mother who is in the hospital with an unnamed illness. The older sister Satsuki, is a ten year old school girl with an old soul, who’s been forced to grow up faster than most kids. She has been left to care for her little sister Mei, who is four, while their mother is being properly cared for at Hachikokuyama Hospital. Mei, seems to be easily frustrated with everything, has little to no fear, and follows her sister everywhere she goes. Their father Tatsuo spends most of his time commuting to work as a university professor and visiting his ill wife Yasuko, as much as possible.
As Satsuki and Mei explore their new home you will quickly notice the mysteriousness of the home and land around them. They first run into these small, fuzzy-haired, black creatures that live in dark places and scurry at the presence of light, and are referred to as soot sprites. Granny, an elderly lady that lives next door, helps the girls dad while he work, by tending to the girls needs and helping out around the house. Granny says that soot sprites live in abandoned homes and will not leave until they all agree the family is a good one. After just a couple nights the dusty little creatures discover the family is good and happy. So, they wander off into the



Cited: Ebert, Roger. “My Neighbor Totoro”. Rev. of My Neighbor Totoro. Roger Ebert. rogerebert.com. 23 Dec 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2014 My Neighbor Totoro. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Tim Daly, Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, Disney 2006. DVD. Pablo, Kjolseth. My Neighbor Totoro.” TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies, nd. 28 Feb. 2014 Rose, Steve. “My Neighbor Totoro-Review”.Rev. of My Neighbor Totoro. Steve Rose. theguardian.com. 23 May 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2014 Schomer, Michael. “My Neighbor Totoro.” YouTube. You Tube, 21 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014

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