Adorable. Lovely. Re-watchable.

Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film, produced by Studio Ghibli, is an absolute delight. Two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, move to the countryside with their father whilst their mother recovers from an illness in hospital. While in the countryside, the sisters experience an adventurous life with the spirits from the forest: Totoros.

There is not much of a storyline, and nothing much really happens, that is clearly the norm from Studio Ghibli – but none of that matters. The animation is pretty good considering the film was made over two decades ago, the songs are catchy, and the characters are adorable.

The whole film is so magical and captures the idylls of childhood fantasy wonderfully. There are some darker moments; such as the mother being ill, but everything ties up so happily in the end it is as if Miyazaki wants children to have prolonged innocence.

 The vivid colours, strange creatures, and happy family unit present a lovely film. The characters are so likeable it is almost impossible not to love My Neighbour Totoro. The big Totoro is simply adorable, the Cat Bus is both practical and hilariously fun, and Mei is just too cute for words.

 My Neighbour Totoro put Japanese animation on the world map, and I was quite surprised and delightfully pleased to find that Totoro has appeared in various South Park episodes and even Toy Story 3.

Basically, I want a Totoro – in fact, I want a Cat Bus!! This is a great film to watch on a bad day and an awesome film to see on a good day.