* * * * for the lovely story of My Neighbor Totoro.

Rating: Null/10 (21 October 1999)

As the only anime I was familiar with until seeing this were ultraviolent cyberpunk epics about little kids with amazing powers blowing up neo-Tokyo and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, it was a surprise to learn about a gentle, poetic, G-rated cartoon about two young sisters and their father, moving to a rural village and there encountering a giant furry forest creature named Totoro.
Thankfully, unlike most Disney films, My Neighbor Totoro moves at a slow, lyrical pace, allowing you to breathe in the nature, animals and joy of being a child long before anything supernatural or otherwordly happens.
The film has a fascination with children, animals and nature, as evident in the beautifully drawn images which linger on flowers, clouds, acorns and grass, insects and grasshoppers, et al. It perfectly captures the fascination with the elements as well as the unknown.