Two young girls, Satsuke and her younger sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuke and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures called Totoros (pronounced toe-toe-ro). They soon befriend these Totoros, and have several magical adventures.

Tonari no Totoro (1988)
  • Rating: (52,632 votes)
  • Runtime:86 minutes
  • Director: Hayao Miyazaki
  • Country:Japan
  • Actors:
    Kanta (voice)
    Toshiyuki Amagasa
    Kanta (voice: English version)
    Paul Butcher
    Nanny (voice: English version)
    Pat Carroll
    Mei (Troma version) (voice: English version)
    Cheryl Chase
    Kusakari-Otoko (voice)
    Shigeru Chiba
    Farm Girl (Troma version) (voice: English version)
    Lara Cody
    Nanny (Troma version) (voice: English version)
    Natalie Core
    Professor Kusakabe (voice: English version) (as Timothy Daly)
    Tim Daly
    Satsuki (2005 Disney version) (voice: English version)
    Dakota Fanning
    Mei Kusakabe (2005 Disney version) (voice: English version)
    Elle Fanning
  • Genres:Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
  • Producers:
    Rick Dempsey
    executive producer (US version)  
    Toru Hara
    producer  
    Ned Lott
    producer (2005 Disney Version)  
    Eiko Tanaka
    line producer  
    Yasuyoshi Tokuma
    executive producer  
  • Plot: Two young girls, Satsuke and her younger sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuke and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures called Totoros (pronounced toe-toe-ro). They soon befriend these Totoros, and have several magical adventures. Written by Christopher E. Meadows <cmeadows@nyx.cs.du.edu>
Tonari no Totoro
  • User's comment:Totoro is a Winner by Andrzej Banas

    Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro is a film that should be able to put a smile on any viewers face, and without a doubt, it'll take you on one of the most whimsical and fantastic journey's ever.

    My Neighbor Totoro is a story that definitely something children can relate with, as i watched this with someone, they immediately paused the film and asked if this reminded me of being 4 years old again. This film really connects with people. But it's far from a quality nostalgia piece, it's well animated, beautiful, avoids cliché stereotypes (from both typical of the Anime genre and Children's Fantasy films), and is beautifully filmed (see scenes such as the girls waiting for the bus with Totoro and the scene where the magic nuts and seeds grow with the help of Totoro).

    Even the English dub done by Fox isn't as bad everyone states. I've seen the Japanese version, and i'd have to say it's a mixed-bag between having Mei's voice sounds a bit too bratty for the English version, or having the Father's voice sound a bit awkward and perhaps not as caring in the Japanese version. Disney is said to be releasing a re-dub in mid-to-late 2005, so perhaps that will even out the controversy.

    This film may not reach the heights of other Anime classics (mainly it's double bill with Grave of the Fireflies, or Miyazaki's other masterpieces Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away), however this will definitely be high on any film lovers list, and is definitely a high water mark of it's genre.

    A solid 9/10, This film is next to impossible to watch without it pushing a smile out of your face.


  • Quotes: Satsuki, Mei Kusakabe: Come out, come out, whereever you are! Mei Kusakabe: To-to-ro? You're Totoro!... I bet you're Totoro... Tatsuo Kusakabe: Trees and people used to be good friends. I saw that tree and decided to buy the house. Hope Mom likes it too. Okay, let's pay our respects then get home for lunch.
  • Also known as: Mi vecino Totoro (Argentina), Mi vecino Totoro (International - imdb display title, Spanish title), Mi vecino Totoro (Mexico - imdb display title), Mi vecino Totoro (Peru - imdb display title), Mi vecino Totoro (Spain - imdb display title), My Neighbor Totoro (Australia - imdb display title), My Neighbor Totoro (International - imdb display title, English title), My Neighbor Totoro (USA), Min nabo Totoro (Denmark - imdb display title), Min nabo Totoro (Norway), Mon voisin Totoro (France), Mon voisin Totoro (Switzerland - imdb display title, French title), I geitonia tou dasous: Oi peripeteies tou Totoro (Greece - DVD title), Il mio vicino Totoro (Italy), Komsum Totoro (Turkey - Turkish title), Mój sasiad Totoro (Poland), Magiska äventyr med Totoro (Sweden - TV title), Mein Nachbar Totoro (Germany - TV title), Meu Amigo Totoro (Brazil), Min granne Totoro (Sweden), Moj sused Totoro (Serbia - imdb display title), My Neighbour Totoro (UK), Näkymätön ystävä (Finland - TV title), Naapurini Totoro (Finland), O Meu Vizinho Totoro (Portugal), Szomszédom, Totoro (Hungary - literal title), Totoro - A varázserdő titka (Hungary),

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