My Neighbor Totoro

Napier notes in Anime: From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle that the Mei and her sister only see Totoro during moments of loneliness. Here in this film, there is the loss of one of the parents. The mother is sick with something unknown to the audience. At certain points in the film, it is difficult to differentiate between the real and the unreal. The beginning of the film shows the audience that the girls have an active imagination. I’m speaking specifically of the scene when the girls enter the new home and see little black dust creatures. The creatures always seem to disappear whenever adults enter the room.

I have more I want to say about My Neighbor Totoro but I will come back to the film a little later.