There goes the neighbourhood

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2010)

When a man moves with his two young daughters(who are credible, with their child-like energy and their enthusiasm, that does give in to fear and doubt at times) to be closer to his hospitalized wife, the girls both begin seeing nature spirits. As they try to deal with their mother's illness, they experience amazing things with the imaginative creatures, including King Totoro, a large, fuzzy teddy-bear that smiles a lot and the many-legged Catbus. I suppose the main argument against this is the lack of real conflict(and without that, you don't really have a story), and the fact that the 10-year-old Satsuki(gesundheit) and the 4-year-old Mei can be rather obnoxious. Some will say that this doesn't need it; it's about the enchanting world(and it certainly is that). In addition to the magic, this does paint a convincing picture of the situation. This builds an atmosphere so effortlessly you barely believe it. The animation is smooth and "feels" real, including the setting of rural Japan, decades ago. There is a nice level of expression to the faces, especially the eyes. A cynic of many years, I will admit that this *did* win me over, yes, it is cute, the youngest of the 2 siblings is adorable(at times). There is some realistic kid dialog in this. The acting is great. If this does not tug at your heartstrings at least a bit, it may be time for a checkup. This is a truly well-done, sweet film that you can show children and they may love it, and it *isn't* pure garbage made with the sole intent being profit. There is nothing offensive in this. The DVD comes with a trailer for this, one for Kiki's Delivery Service and one for Howl's Moving Castle. I recommend this to any fan of fantasy. 8/10