:: My Neighbor Totoro ::

* * *

Princess Mononoke was the first Miyazaki movie I’d seen, and remains my favorite. But having come to the director by way of a film rivaling the best of Kurasawa in its epic scale, its always refreshing to see how Miyazaki is able to excel in telling more intimate (yet still magical and fantastical) stories of children learning to accept the adult responsibilities that come with growing up.

In films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and the recent Spirited Away, children start their journey through adulthood by dealing with problems allegorical to those the children watching the film face or will face themselves. My Neighbor Totoro, which is partly autobiographical (Miyazaki’s mother battled TB), presents a real problem, an ailing parent, more directly, but demonstrates the same sensitivity he does when using witchcraft and spirits to metaphorically approach children's anxieties. The plot is straightforward enough: Two young girls explore their new home, discovering the enchanted creatures that share the house and the encircling forests, while waiting for their mother to recover from her illness and be discharged from the hospital. The mother’s absence from their new house is not ignored, nor is it a dark cloud constantly hovering over the proceedings. The children live their life in their enchanted new land, but they also think of their mother and anxiously await her return.

Miyazaki of course includes the magical creatures and fantasy one expects from him, but ultimately his goal is just to tell a simple story, capturing emotions all children can relate to on some level. Unfortunately, Miyazaki seems to pull the reigns too tightly on the fantastical elements of this film. Of course, My Neighbor Totoro has spirits and magical catbuses and all, but they don't rate much screen time; the girls are the ones that must carry the film. And Satsuki and Mei aren’t really interesting enough for that burden. The totoros are cute, and the catbus is amusing, though a little creepy. But somehow the balance between these magical creatures and the human children they are there to delight seems off here, compared to Miyazaki's other films.

Ultimately, I’m not sure that this film is inferior to Miyazaki’s other work. I just think this is one case where the film is aimed at children, and they primarily will enjoy it. Adults will, too (I did), but if you’re expecting something as delightful as Kiki’s Delivery Service, or on the scale of Princess Mononoke, you might be disappointed.