Week 6: My Neighbor Totoro

This week's film My Neighbor Totoro was the first film that reflects Miyazaki's later works, characterized by the modern shojo character. The plot is centered around the otherworldly explorations of two sisters Satsuki and Mei both of which seen to posses the uncanny ability to see spirits. Through this ability, Mei and Satsuki meet what their father calls "the king of the forest" more affectionately named Totoro. Any conflict in the film appears and is resolved at the very end of the film (Mei get's lost and Totoro calls the cat bus to help find her), so It's obvious that this film is not one that follows the standard conflict-> resolution storyline. So what is the purpose then? Surely this is the same Miyazaki who directed epics like Naussica and Castle in the sky. It seems to me that the complexities of this film do not seek to tackle huge topics, rather Miyazaki seeks to explore the realm of childhood imagination. The Totoro (pl.) are a manifestation of a childhood fascination with the fantastic that adults no longer posses. Furthermore, what makes this film unique is the approach Miyazaki takes towards this topic. While western culture encourages a departure from childhood imagination and discourages having 'imaginary friends' the adult characters in the film sympathize with the children and often encourage their imaginative exploration (oba-san openly says that she used to be able to see the 'dust bunnies' when she was younger). In addition to that, Miyazaki is constantly blurring the line between the real and the 'imaginary'. Initially, it's just the appearance of the acorns that the Totoro spirits seem to collect, but it quickly increases to a lost umbrella, and ultimately the appearance of the cob of corn with the message inscribed on it. By constantly playing with this line between the real and imaginary, Miyazaki infuses a sense of mystery into the 'real world' that is reminiscent of childhood wonder. However the feeling Miyazaki is trying to invoke is not necessarily nostalgia, especially since he does not confine the imaginary world to the bounds of the real world.