My Neighbor Totoro
by Hayao Miyazaki
Our Price: $49.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $37.77 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chika Sakamoto, Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi ShimamotoDirector: Hayao Miyazaki
Cinematographer: Mark Henley
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Eiko Tanaka
Producer: Ned Lott
Producer: Rick Dempsey
Producer: Tohru Hara
Producer: Yasuyoshi Tokuma
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Japanese (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, THX, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of My Neighbor Totoro
Movie Review: MUST HAVE =BOTH= FOX & DISNEY VERSIONS
Summary: 4 Stars
First a thought or two about this great story. We all here (almost all) agree that this animated story is uniquely magical and special. The most unique characteristic in my view is the realistic behaviors of the characters; especially those of the children. They think, behave, and interact just as real children do. It's this realistic side of the story in my view that draws us in and won't let us forget it. Rather than just a fantastical tale that's a great escape from reality and then forgotten, we can relate our lives to this story; at any age. Recalling our youth and our own once brilliant imaginations, remembering when anything and everything around us could have something magical and exciting about it. And the ways in which the girls "discover" and bring the whimsical, mysterious, and delightfully (even startlingly) unfamiliar creatures into the story is also very natural and true to the workings of a child's imagination. Children don't develop the characters they imagine ahead of time, planning entire coherent storylines. They're spontaneous and their characters fit into their imagined World of the moment. Everything doesn't have to make perfect sense because their World can change to make it all work out. This is how we see the story; from a child's imagination, to which we all can relate. It's as if we're right there, children again, imagining it right along with them.
We originally had the Fox version. When Disney released theirs, we bought it and gave the Fox version away; and regret it. Yes, Disney's has lots of great extras, the Japanese language track, and a display ratio that allows a full view ("letterbox"). All "must haves". But what we miss about the Fox version is the voice casting. Fox chose voice personalities that perfectly fit the characters. They just felt natural and right, and you never felt "aware" that they're voice-overs. Not so in Disney's case. Dakota Fanning has a very strong, distinctive, unshakably confident, and amazingly adult-like personality. Great for her, but SO WRONG for Satsuki! Satsuki is a much more gentle, modest, and youthful girl who sort of finds her inner strengths as the story progresses. So you're VERY aware it's a voice-over, of the conflict in personalities, and that it's Dakota Fanning talking; which takes you out of the story and puts you back on your couch watching a cartoon. Kills the magic I described above.
So you have to have Fox's for the pleasure of losing yourself in the story, and Disney's for all the great extras. (I'd give 1000 Stars for the story, but 4 Stars for either of these releases - they could do better) I don't know if you can find either now ( I wish I could find Fox's ), but if you can, don't hesitate. There's nothing like Totoro.
Summary of My Neighbor Totoro
Critically acclaimed as one of the most delightful and charming family films ever, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a stunning animated treat full of magical adventure from Hayao Miyazaki. Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight, they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro, who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters -- including a cat that doubles as a bus! -- and takes them on an incredible journey. Full of wonder and heart, this spectacular 2-disc set features the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a magical experience for the whole family! ? 1988 Nibariki . GMy Neighbor Totoro is that rare delight, a family film that appeals to children and adults alike. While their mother is in the hospital, 10-year-old Satsuki and 4-year-old Mei move into an old-fashioned house in the country with their professor father. At the foot of an enormous camphor tree, Mei discovers the nest of King Totoro, a giant forest spirit who resembles an enormous bunny rabbit. Mei and Satsuki learn that Totoro makes the trees grow, and when he flies over the countryside or roars in his thunderous voice, the winds blow. Totoro becomes the protector of the two sisters, watching over them when they wait for their father, and carrying them over the forests on an enchanted journey. When the children worry about their mother, Totoro sends them to visit her via a Catbus, a magical, multilegged creature with a grin the Cheshire Cat might envy.
Unlike many cartoon children, Satsuki and Mei are neither smart-alecky nor cloyingly saccharine. They are credible kids: bright, energetic, silly, helpful, and occasionally impatient. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki makes the viewer believe the two sisters love each other in a way no American feature has ever achieved. My Neighbor Totoro is enormously popular in Japan, and some of the character merchandise has begun to appear in America. The film has also inspired a Japanese environmental group to buy a Totoro Forest preserve in the Saitama Prefecture, where Miyazaki's film is set. --Charles Solomon
Action & Adventure DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Solid Anime Picks
Video Girl AIPublished: 2001; DVD
Best price: $21.00
Howl's Moving CastleBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $21.38
Price in other shops:
Spirited AwayBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $18.49
Price in other shops:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the WindDisney; Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $21.38
Price in other shops:
Princess MononokeDisney; Release date: 2000-12-19; DVD
Best price: $11.24
Price in other shops:
My Neighbor TotoroRelease date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $123.45
Castle in the SkyDisney; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.64
Price in other shops:
Millennium ActressPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2003-10-28; DVD
Best price: $7.24
Price in other shops:
MetropolisSIM; Release date: 2002-04-23; DVD
Best price: $10.95
Price in other shops:
Fushigi Yugi - The Mysterious Play: Box Set 1 - Suzaku (ep. 1-26)Release date: 1999-12-14; DVD
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Pom PokoDisney; Release date: 2005-08-16; DVD
Best price: $20.99
Price in other shops:
My Neighbor Totoro Picture Book (The Art of My Neighbor Totoro)VIZ Media LLC; Published: 2005-07-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.66
Price in other shops:
The Cat ReturnsBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $20.29
Price in other shops:
Whisper of the HeartDisney; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $21.44
Price in other shops:
Howl's Moving CastleBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $21.27
Price in other shops:
Porco RossoBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $19.48
Price in other shops:
Spirited AwayBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $17.63
Price in other shops:
Nausicaa of the Valley of the WindDisney; Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $21.29
Price in other shops:
Castle in the SkyDisney; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.29
Price in other shops:
Kiki's Delivery ServiceDisney; Release date: 2003-04-15; DVD
Best price: $21.59
Price in other shops: