Fantasy meets reality

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2018)

When 4 year old Mei moves to a house in the country, in order to be closer to hospitalised Mum, with Dad and older sister Satsuki, she discovers Totoro in the vicinity - creatures like obese rabbits of various sizes.
This charming tale from Studio Ghibli is reminiscent of the British stories of Rupert Bear, where everday life rubs shoulders with high fantasy in a world where both are unremarkable. Couple this with an ability to see the world through a child's eyes, and an easy and undemanding narrative leads us through a series of events of extraordinary ordinariness.
It looks lovely, and leaves you with a smile on your face.