Just for kids?

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2002)

I've never made a scret of the fact that I like children's tales. I was an avid reader when I was younger; Enid Blyton and C S Lewis are writers whose books still hold my attention
Children's films play a big part in our family as well. We have most of the popular Disney films as well as things like Babe, Antz and Beethoven, etc
So was it for this reason that a friend insisted on sending me My Neighbour Totoro, citing it as one of his favourite films?
I finally watched it last night, not having the slightest idea what it was or what it was about. What I got was a heart-warming, beautifully drawn and - well - decidely odd animated film from Japan
Two young Japanese sisters and their father move into a run-down shack in a rice-field area where they meet several "fairy tale" characters lving in the local woods, including the titular, Totoro, a giant - erm - gerbil. While having adventures with him and his smaller friends, they discover that their hospitalised Mother, due home soon, has developed an illness. The younger sister runs away to find the hospital and Totoro assists in the search
Whether this Totoro is a well known character in Japan (like - what? - the tooth fairy, or Father Christmas over here) or not I'm afraid I don't know. But the film is presented in such a way that you should know who the hell these characters are
Now, as an adult, I found the film very touching. The fact that it was in Japanese with English sub-titles didn't bother me. But its obvious intended audience (i.e my children) would be hard pressed to sit through it purely because of that reason; however, the simple tale of innocent children exploring their new locations is one that should and, indeed, would appeal to my younger boys
I must confess that I didn't share my friend's obvious joy in finding such a film - but then I wouldn't expect him to sit through my favourite "Krull" every month or so. But, as I said, it's beautifully drawn (apart from the Japanese habit of, for some reason, insisting that all children have mouths as wide as water melons!!), the music is surprisingly pleasant and the overall effect is one of feeling warm and fuzzy at the end, if a little bemused