Here is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy. Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile.
Animation is big business in Japan, commanding up to a quarter of the box office some years. Miyazaki is the ''Japanese Disney,'' it's said, although that is a little unfair, since Walt Disney was more producer and visionary than animator, and Miyazaki rolls up his sleeves and draws his films himself.
Totoros--which are not mythological Japanese forest creatures, but were actually invented by Miyazaki just for this movie. And he can be seen only by children. The movie requires no villains. I am reminded that ''Winnie the Pooh'' also originally had no evil characters.
The family is seen as a safe, comforting haven. It's entirely about how the imaginations of the children affect their view of the world around them, and how they deal with potentially scary situations.
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