My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro was some of the cutest animation I've seen in a long time. I can't decide which of these is cuter: The small Totoro, the medium Totoro, Big Totoro, Mei, or the theme song (which I still can't help but be amused by).

Aside from the cuteness of the film, four things about My Neighbor Totoro struck me.

1. The film's similarities to Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies. I was a bit surprised at the short span of Totoro-- the film takes place over a relatively short time period and scope, especially in relation to epic-scale films like Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky. But both Totoro and Fireflies featured the exploits of two children and the struggles they faced because of extenuating circumstances that included absent parents. The scene of Satsuki running to try to save Mei when she thinks she has drowned is similar to Seita's struggles to provide food for Setsuko in Fireflies. The mother's hospitalization was a powerful part of both films. And, both were (at least somewhat) autobiographical (though not necessarily for the films' respective directors). It makes sense that the two films were released on the same bill-- but until I saw Totoro, I didn't know just how fitting that choice apparently was.

2. Miyazaki's skill in portraying children's behavior. It is uncanny (no relation to Todorov intended) how accurately Mei and Satsuki (and even Kanta) resemble kids I've known, or even myself as a child. They are beautifully animated and believable, from their motivations to their actions.

3. Big Totoro apparently uses technology (the spinning top) to fly. I found this a bit odd, since he and the smaller Totoro-folk seem to be all about nature otherwise. But, this may be a misperception-- maybe the spinning top is merely magical, or has significance in a context I don't know about.

4. Catbus > Batmobile.