Friday, May 29, 2015

My Neighbors are WAY More Interesting Than Yours!


You know what's a great thing to follow the world's saddest movie with? The world's happiest and most child friendly movie!


And if IMDb is to be believed Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro were actually released as a double feature in Japan because Studio Ghibli didn't have confidence that Totoro would bring in enough money as a stand alone movie. Coincidentally it didn't do well until they started mass producing toys from the movie two years later. I have a theory that the real reason it didn't do so well in theaters is because it was shown as a double feature with THE WORLD'S SADDEST MOVIE. But that could just be me.

Oddly though, I think My Neighbor Totoro actually does make a good follow up to Grave of the Fireflies. Totoro portrays a historically ambivalent time period that could easily be considered the early to mid 1950's. Hard times have come and gone and the future is bright and optimistic. There is what could be considered a residue of said hard times (i.e. mom stay's in a hospital for the duration of the movie) but there's still a permeating feeling that everything will work out ok. It could also be argued that this movie is a reflection of Miyazaki's post-war childhood experience. His mother did spend many years in and out of hospitals as she suffered with tuberculosis and he has admitted to the semi-autobiographical nature of this story.

Anyways, I'd say the best word that could be used to describe My Neighbor Totoro would be enchanting. It so perfectly encapsulates what it is to be young and still unabashedly believe that the world is full of magic. If at all possible I would recommend watching this movie with a little person. I watched it with my 4 year old niece and it was delightful.

One thing (among many) that I especially love about this movie is the parent-child relationship between the two girls, Satsuki and Mei, and their father. When little Mei discovers soot monsters in the house they've all just moved into and runs to tell her dad about it he doesn't huff at her and say "Hogwash! There's no such thing as magic!" Like so many other parental figures do in these types of movies. And do you know why he doesn't correct her four-year old idea that there's little pretend creatures living in the house? Because in a reality based world parents don't generally get angry when their children believe in make believe things. In fact, they encourage the use of their child's imagination and in many instances goad them on (Santa Clause anyone??). It's little details like this that I like so much in a Ghibli movie, they don't add much (if anything) to the plot but they do add a level of realism to the 2-dimensional world being created on the screen.

And can we talk about character design for a moment? I am 100% certain that the reason this movie did so well from it's merchandising is because the character of Totoro was designed so well he was basically screaming to be made into a giant plush toy.

Speaking of the character of Totoro, Mr. Miyazaki has actually mentioned that the character is not based on anything in Japanese mythology or folklore. He wanted to create a creature that could be universally embraced by all world cultures. If he actually succeeds in this endeavor is up for debate but it did make me feel justified in watching it in English.

Up next: enter a world where World War 2 never happened and witchcraft is a lighthearted and whimsical entity.