Studio Ghibli Weekend: My Neighbour Totoro

On Friday night we watched Princess Mononoke with kid 1 so on Saturday afternoon we thought we could show kid 2 some Studio Ghibli magic too.  We chose My Neighbour Totoro for its sweet and innocent look at childhood in rural Japan/Ghibliland.


Satsuki and her little sister Mei move to the countryside to be closer to their mother who is in hospital.  They discover all kinds of magical and mysterious spirit creatures live in and around their old farmhouse and they befriend them.  And in return Totoro (the largest and cuddliest of the creatures) and his friends help Satsuki and Mei in their time of need.

Rating: My Neighbour Totoro is a very simple and slow moving story.  Suitable for a 4 year old who needs some down time on a lazy weekend afternoon.  The older members of the family found it too slow but we enjoyed having it on in the background and watching the occasional snippet of Cat Bus or Totoro.  Kid 2 wanted to watch it again the next day and we wouldn't object to her having a repeat viewing.  Except that now she wants a Totoro soft toy... of course!

Naughty bits: Cat Bus is a little scary/creepy at first so if your child is sensitive then My Neighbour Totoro is best left on the shelf till they are older but our 4 year old was not worried at all.  Other than that Totoro is as clean as your house once you have cleaned out all the soot sprites.

Snacks: Corn on the cob

Family In-quotes: "Come out, come out, where ever you are!"

Related Goodies:
Cat Buses in real life
Cat Bus Rail Puzzle Game