Capturing the moment
Miyazaki films know how to capture ‘the moment’. What I mean by ‘the moment’ is that Miyazaki seems to freeze a single moment in life and capture it forever in an hour or so film. For Miyazaki’s film My Neighbor Totoro he captures the playful moment in every child’s life where the imagination comes to life to replace reality; that is pretty much the entire point of the movie.
Two children, Satsuki and Mei, move into a new home in the countryside with their professor father. Trying to relax a bit while their mother is sick in the hospital, the pair meet up with an imaginary forest spirit named Totoro that helps them out in their day to day life. The catch is that only the kids can see the spirit, which is fine by the pair. Totoro takes the kids on different adventures that will help them stay young and stay adventurous.
I never fully appreciated this film as a teenager or a college student. It seemed simple enough, but it never really had the usual roller coaster ride that Disney animated films take you on. When I became a parent I understood fully what Miyazaki was trying to do. He built a movie around youthful exuberance and captured the essence of what it means to be young. Miyazaki showed people how much fun it was to be a kid again through the eyes of Satsuki and Mei. The two characters play off each other perfectly as they show the beginning and the end of childhood. Mei is the youngest and doesn’t know much when it comes to adult matters, such as why their sick mother can’t come home right away. Satsuki represents the end of childhood and the transition to a young adult.
It’s neat to see the two play off each other and even better to see how Miyazaki clearly states that you should stay young while you can through the eyes of his imaginary spirit Totoro. His method of conveying this is subtle, but it’s very effective; that’s the brilliance of the movie.
If more adults would watch this movie maybe they could understand their children better and possibly enjoy life better.
At the end of the day, Miyazaki’s plan for capturing ‘the moment’ is successful, though it is unorthodox in comparison to typical movie tradition. Regardless, this reviewer loves it and it’s an instant classic.
As for the special features on this DVD, which is two-disc, yiou’re getting the same time of deal that Ponyo provided. Here is what you get:
– The World of Ghibli – An imaginary Interactive Experience for My Neighbor Totoro
– Enter the Lands
– Behind the Studio
– Storyboard Presentation of the movie
Really good stuff for a great film. You get some extra motivation through meeting the characters and getting some insight on the creation of the story. Just as neat as the movie itself.