My Neighbor Totoro
He's your friendly neighbourhood forest spirit!
1988 • 86 min • Fantasy · Animation · Family
Synopsis
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
Our family guide
Best from age 4- 100 Reviewers · 5 · 65%
- 81 Audience · 8950 · 35%
Two young sisters move to the countryside to be near their hospitalized mother. They soon discover friendly magical creatures living in the nearby forest, including the fluffy Totoro. When one sister gets lost, the other turns to her new spirit friends for help.
- Violence & peril
- 0/10
- Language
- 0/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 0/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 0/10
- Scary moments
- 2/10
Heads up
- A parent is ill and hospitalized
- A child gets lost and is missing for a while
What it models well
- The power of imagination
- Sibling bond and support
- Kindness to nature
- Coping with worry
Talk about it after
- How Satsuki cares for Mei
- The magic of discovery
- Managing big feelings
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for My Neighbor Totoro. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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Top billed cast
Director: Hayao Miyazaki • Crew: Hayao Miyazaki
Noriko Hidaka
Satsuki Kusakabe (voice)
Chika Sakamoto
Mei Kusakabe (voice)
Hitoshi Takagi
Totoro (voice)
Shigesato Itoi
Tatsuo Kusakabe (voice)
Sumi Shimamoto
Yasuko Kusakabe (voice)
Tanie Kitabayashi
Granny (voice)
Toshiyuki Amagasa
Kanta Ogaki (voice)
Yuko Maruyama
Kanta's Mother (voice)
Masashi Hirose
Kanta's Father (voice)
Reiko Suzuki
Kanta's Aunt (voice)
Trailers & clips
Ghibli Fest 2023 - 35th Anniversary Trailer
Studio Ghibli Fest 2023: 35th Anniversary
Totoro Takes The Cat Bus
Mei Meets Totoro
Miyazaki on Creating Totoro [Subtitled]
Studio Ghibli Fest 2019 Trailer
Vintage Trailer
Official Trailer [Subtitled]
Reviewer notes
RecommendedThough maybe the story here is a bit on the thin side, this is still glorious mix of family and fantasy from the hand-drawn animation of the gifted Hayao Miyazaki. It's all about two sisters - "Mei" and "Satsuki" who travel with their father to a new, rather rustic, home. It's all a grand adventure for the girls though and they are barely through the door before realising that the house has some extra special occu...
Recommendedcute & sweet. that's it
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersAggressively cute. <em>'My Neighbor Totoro'</em> holds an extremely hearty story, one told via impeccably beautiful animation. Noriko Hidaka and Chika Sakamoto standout as Satsuki and Mei, the relationship between those two characters is so sweet. They do get a bit shouty in parts which ever so slightly irritates, but that's definitely one to file under 'nit-picking'. A simple movie, one which displays the i...
Recommended(SPOILER ALERT) I was delighted to see this subtle/multi-layered tale unfold, which seemed to play well to both a childhood audience, keen on likable characters/compelling imagination, and adults with a deeper appreciation for the symbolic backstory. Like most of Miyazaki's films, there was an enormous focus on the power of the natural world. Whenever man perverts the natural world, the natural world seems...
RecommendedTrusted family reviewers**"Childhood" in a movie.** This is just perfection - a perfect way to while away time and reconnect with your youth. Everything is outstanding in this film, but especially the way it can emote your sense of wonder and imagination. I wish I could have watched this as a child, I would have wanted to find Totoro and the Catbus, roar like Totoro, or sleep on his belly. Oh well...I will just have to imagine...
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