‘My Neighbor Totoro’
My Neighbor Totoro is often considered the cornerstone of Studio Ghibli and with good reason. This enchanting 1988 film is stone cold masterpiece about the power of kindness, community, and honoring the natural world around us. The Miyazaki film follows two young sisters as their father relocates them into a dilapidated rural house while their mother convalesces in the hospital. Satsuki and Mei are obsessed with both the house and the magic within. Soon, little Mei follows two spirits into the roots of a massive tree on their property. There, she meets a massive, cushy forest spirit she dubs “Totoro.” Soon, Totoro and his fellow spirits become guardians for the struggling family, who are also supported by their local community. My Neighbor Totoro‘s genius is in how it balances the exquisite beauty of Studio Ghibli’s animation with the joyful wonder the girls feel in Totoro’s presence.