My Neighbor Totoro

Like Hong Kong's Jackie Chan, legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki first enjoyed cult status before finding mainstream success, thanks to home video and critics such as Roger Ebert, who championed his work and raised audience awareness. This essential 1988 Japanese animated feature was most people's introduction to Miyazaki, an old school animator who has since enhanced his reputation with such masterworks as Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and the Oscar-nominated Spirited Away. The enchanting G-rated My Neighbor Totoro is closer in spirit to Kiki's Delivery Service, offering up a wondrous fantasy about two sisters who move into a house in the country while their mother is hospitalized and befriend a behemoth forest spirit named Totoro. Some scenes are transcendent in their power to engage the imagination, such as the mythical "soot sprites" that greet the girls at their new house, a bus stop encounter one rainy night when the girls and Totoro bond over a shared umbrella, and a bounding ride aboard a Cat Bus. An antidote to much of the sludge that passes for family entertainment these days, this sublime entertainment is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—Mar. 21, 2006—Walt Disney, 2 discs, 86 min., G, $29.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1988's My Neighbor Totoro features a very nice transfer and Dolby 2.0 sound. DVD extras on this two-disc set include the option to view the entire film using just the original storyboards (on the second disc), a “Behind the Microphone” featurette with voice cast members (and sisters) Dakota and Elle Fanning (6 min.), a four-minute segment of the clean opening and ending title sequence art, and trailers. Bottom line: a handsome edition of this anime classic.][Blu-ray Review—May 21, 2013—Walt Disney, 88 min., G, $39.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1988's My Neighbor Totoro sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include the original Japanese storyboards (88 min.), production featurettes on locations (29 min.), score (7 min.), the voice cast (6 min.), and characters (5 min.), a “making-of” segment with director Hayao Miyazaki (3 min.), “The Totoro Experience” (2 min.), “Producer's Perspective: Creating Ghibli” (2 min.), a bonus DVD copy of the film, and trailers. Bottom line: a beloved anime classic makes a welcome Blu-ray debut.][DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—Oct. 17, 2017—Shout! Factory, 88 min., G, DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1988's My Neighbor Totoro sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include storyboards (87 min.), a location segment (29 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Scoring Miyazaki” (8 min.), “Behind the Microphone” (6 min.), “Creating the Characters” (5 min.), “Creating My Neighbor Totoro” (3 min.), “The Totoro Experience” (2 min.), and “Producer's Perspective: Creating Ghibli” (2 min.), and a booklet. Bottom line: this early Studio Ghibli classic sparkles in this latest edition.]