The work of a great mind

Rating: 9/10 (18 July 2012)

Hayao Miyazaki may be better known for his western market breakthrough film, Spirited Away (which undoubtedly is one of the greatest ever animated movies) but for me, 'My Neighbour Totoro' is also up there with the best of them too.
I won't go into too much detail about the film itself, suffice to say that it is a charming little movie whose characters will endear themselves to anyone with even the slightest sprinkling of good spirit in their soul.
I first watched it at the age of twelve on returning home from a day at school. Despite missing the first fifteen minutes, I could instantly tell that I was going to be glued to my television screen for the duration! It was also my first experience of a Miyazaki film and introduced me in fine style to this master film maker.
Roll forward 20 years, and here I am still captivated by this wonderful movie. The film's core message of being a free spirit and embracing the opportunity for adventure really is something that all children(and adults too) need to be taught in a society where from an early age we are conditioned to be mistrustful of others and overly cautious of our surroundings.
What the big western animation studios like Disney and Pixar fail to grasp is that life isn't always about good vs evil or right vs wrong. Studio Ghibli is about the depth of their characters and the wonder of the locations.
Finally, what this film really reflects well is that life is often just a series of random occurrences that should be savoured before they are over.
If you understand that then this film will resonate with you and you should go and watch it. Now!