My Neighbor Totoro
I wasn't going to do a full writeup of this, but something just compelled me to. This movie still remains one of the most moving, poignant, amazing pieces of animation I've seen in my life. It's amazing just how much I forgot about this. A few things surprised me that I kind of want to point out.
For one, the mystical elements of the movie don't take prominence until the last 1/3 of the film. Even then, probably only 15-20 minutes of its 1 hour 30 minute runtime are devoted to the more magical things. At its core, it's a family drama. Like any good Ghibli film, the emotion that's evoked throughout is amazing. It doesn't matter if you know how things are going to turn out, Miyazaki takes you on an emotional journey. You can't help but get caught up in it. The emotion in the faces, the beauty of the scenery, the amazingness of the score, all of it plays for full effect.
Another interesting aspect I found was the portrayal of father as the primary care giver for his children. It's not something often addressed in media. Typically when fathers are thrust into this situation in movies and TV shows, it's played for laughs, particularly with daughters. Either that or the father is seen as emotionally distant. Here he could not be more loving, concerned, and caring. It's a welcome change from the norm.
How does the Blu-Ray look? Spectacular. Everything looks exactly as it should. There is no discoloration, grain or framing issues. Overall, a much better experience than the Kiki DVD I saw a week or so back. The transfer there was loaded with bad color variations, bad grain, and occasional cloudiness. It was super sad to see. This was how Totoro was meant to be seen. Not to mention how it sounds, the music in particular sounds beautiful and crisp. Just an amazing experience all around. The only way you could find a better experience would be to see it in big screen. I sincerely G-Kids will be able to take their Ghibli marathon much wider. I would kill to see all that in a theater. I'll end the blu-ray talk with this, Disney desperately needs to release a Ghibli blu-ray set. I will easily pay $250+ for all their stuff. I don't even need many special features. Heck, I'd probably pay that for a Miyazki collection alone.
So how does Totoro rank among Ghibli films? that's a tough question. In a few ways, it feels a bit less substantial than some of the later stuff Miyazaki has made. I personally enjoy Mononke and Spirited Away on an emotional level more than Totoro. I also just enjoy Kiki more as a fun film. Still, that could change depending on the day. All of these films are so close to perfection, ranking them is almost impossible. Miyazaki is truly one of the greats of our time.
