My Neighbor Totoro
|
Our Price: $64.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $29.99 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of My Neighbor Totoro
Movie Review: A Magical Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Hayao Miyazaki's movies all have a magical feel to them and My Neighbor Totoro is no exception. This animated feature follows ten year old Satsuki and her four year old sister Mei on their adventure in the Japanese countryside and encounter with the Lord of the Forest, the giant but very cute Totoro.
You can read the other reviews to find out more about the plot; in this review I want to focus on what I really liked about this movie (I also liked the plot as well, but no use retelling it here).
The animation, like all of Miyazaki's movies, is first rate. I must point out that I've seen both the original version of the DVD released in America, done by Fox Video, and the Disney version. Do yourself a favor and buy the Disney version - it is way better than the sorry Fox version. I would highly recommend watching it in the original Japanese language with subtitles (assuming you don't understand Japanese). The movie flows so much better that way and you get nuances that are bludgeoned by the English dubbing job. Even the music and the background sound effects are different, with the English version being way too heavy handed.
The Disney version also has the movie in the original widescreen aspect ratio whereas the Fox version has the pan and scan altered ratio.
As for the movie itself, Satsuki and Mei act very natural (as natural as cartoon characters can be, that is). They don't act precocious, they don't act bratty, they aren't made to be overly cute or lovable, they are simply made to be real and believable. All in all, this is a charming story with excellent production values, and I am thankful that someone released it in its original aspect ratio with the original language and soundtrack. Only this version does this great movie justice.
By the way, a bit of trivia - Ken Jennings, the Jeopardy wonder-guy, has a Totoro on his keychain for good luck.
Movie Review: A Great Cinematic Treat For Children And Adults!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I am a purist when it comes to Japanese films. I have three versions of "My Neighbor Totoro." The original in Japanese, without subtitles, the Fox version, and the Disney version. I would recommend viewers to just get the film, it's well worth the watch. I bought the first DVD in Japanese some years back when my daughters were very young. Both of them have been enrolled in a Japanese Immersion Program at their language school since they were 5-years-old. They speak, read and write Japanese.
I bought the second for my wife and I, [Fox version] and thought it was great. Also, I bought the Disney version when my young nieces and nephews visited their cousins; since they cannot understand Japanese, they are able to listen to this version. I too am a purist; and believe that the inflections of Japanese; or any language in a foreign film should be the primary language listened to with subtitles. However, I also think that one can capture young children's attention--who would otherwise stray, if they were reading subtitles. I know this from experience as a father of two young Japanese-speaking American children.
Therefore, while the spotlight reviewer skewers this DVD, I would recommend the film to those who are not sure if they would like to purchase the film. All one has to do is check my film listings, and you will see that I love Japanese cinema, and have since I was a child in the early to mid 1960s. I went to many Japanese films as a kid [Zatoichi] and saw Mizoguchi's, Kurosawa's and Ozu's films, to name just a few film directors that I grew up watching. The film is worth the purchase: Disney or not. There are plenty of reviews of this film describing this magical cinematic treat, and you and your children will definitely enjoy the film. This film is highly recommended. [Stars: 5+]
Movie Review: I love this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am studying Japanese for work so we got this movie and several of the other Ghibli movies as well. Totoro is one of my favorites. Just to give you an understanding of my perspective, I generally don't like Anime but I like Ghibli.
In Totoro, I don't like the English voice overs very much but I think that is probably largely because I got used to hearing the Japanese version. It seems like they have a lot of uneccesary dialogue in the English version. Our small kids (1.5 and 3 yrs old) watch this movie all the time. Compared to a normal movie there actually isn't all that much going on in terms of storyline but it is so pleasant that I don't mind at all.
I think that another big selling point is how effectively they conveyed the feelings of the kids. I can see my own 2 girls in them. Another high point for me is that the music fits the movie perfectly. Our daughter is in a Japanese preschool right now and they play the theme song all the time (the kids march around the room while they are playing it since the song is about going for a walk). As a parent who finds many other children's movies agonizing I give this movie 3 thumbs up!
As for the other Ghibli movies, Totoro is definitely the #1 instant classic of them all but I also really like Porco Rosso (kids like it), Pom Poko (warning - very weird movie - but fun, our kids aren't interested in it at all), Howl's moving Castle (kids neutral on it), Cat's Return (kids like it), Kiki (kids LOVE it, maybe even more than Totoro), and Spirited Away (kids neutral on it). Laputa and Nausica were decent. I didn't like Grave of the Fireflies - it is just too much of a downer sad story for me, I like the happier stuff better.
Movie Review: Cute film
Summary: 5 Stars
After seeing the (horrible) english dubbed version of "My Neighbor Totoro" a couple of months ago on TCM network, I thought I had to see this delightful film in its original language. I will never understand why Disney has to take any film from Studio Chiba and give it horrible english dubbing. Are people that too lazy to read subtitles? I am by no means a diehard anime fan but I know that dubbing a Japanese film sounds atrocious. Case in point all of Hiyao Miyazaki's films.
"My Neighbor Totoro" is a delightful film that even this adult loves. Satsuki and her younger sister Mei temporarily moves to the countryside with their father to be closer to the hospital where their mother is. The film doesn't say what befell their mother. I just know that she is seriously ill enough to be staying in the hospital for more than a few days. At their new home, Satsuki and Mei discover a world and its inhabitants that only children can see. One of the inhabitants is Totoro, what looks like an enormously fat cat. Totoro only appears to children when he wants to appear.
I loved "My Neighbor Totoro". The young characters were never cloyingly, unrealistically sweet nor did they see each other as adversaries. Satsuki was mature yet very sensititve, Mei was precocious yet overly rambunctious. The sisters did truly care for each other and looked out for each other as any siblings would in real life. I watched the Japanese version because when Disney massacres Miyazaki's films with english actors, the magic of the film is lost. "My Neighbor Totoro" is a fun, light hearted film. It may not have that serious, epic feel of Miyazaki's films like "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke" but it is just as engaging to watch.
Movie Review: Wonderful even with the dubbing.
Summary: 5 Stars
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 / 5 of 5 / Wonderful even with the dubbing.
I try to watch my anime with the Japanese soundtrack as I took it in high-school and college and it's a reminder of how quickly you can lose it if you don't use it. The cadence and flow of the language is superior in its original format vs dubbing the vast majority of the time and subtitles are not an issue once you get used to using them. That said, Totoro only had an English dub, but wasn't too bad. Coming to Totoro from Castle in the Sky I continued by chronological trek of the Miyazaki cannon. It's a testament to the director and storywriter that 30 somethings can enjoy his films as much as the children that are ostensibly his target. Totoro centers around a couple of young siblings who move with their parents to a remote rural location in Japan, their house in the shadow of a mountainous forest overseen by the giant, shaggy, rabbit like Totoro and his helpers. It boggles my mind that something so child-like in this story can be so compelling for adults. As an avid fan of anime I've rarely been moved like I have with Miyazaki's movies and this story was one of his lightest and sweetest. The only conflict in the story is the younger sister Mei running off. The rest is a languid exploration of the area around the house and meeting with Totoro and his companions. I love the artwork on the forest and rural settings and the attention to detail these films bring. The children are never talked down to and are treated with respect and love at the same time. The adults are not dumbed down or stereotyped either. Once again, highly recommended for all ages.