Just perfect...

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is a dream, and it is not a dream. Two girls, Satsuki and younger sister Mei, move with their father to a country home to be closer to their sick mother. The girls discover a magical realm full of playful, mischievous and child-like spirits. When their mother appears to be in deeper trouble, Satsuki and Mei set off on their own to see what they can do to help.Prepare for deep immersion in Japanese culture, together with its surreal magic, humor and charm! Combine this with the vivid imagination, wit, playfulness and vibrant artistic detail of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and discover a film experience that will transport you to a parallel universe of fantastic sounds, colors and emotions. Enter mysterious forest shrines, dance in the moonlight, listen to the eerie chirp of cicadas and distinct calls from Japanese kites (hawks). See the camphor trees in all their shades, admire the wildflowers and the sky full of stars, and enjoy frequent baths and magical spells. The artistic detail of the animation is amazing to behold, even as early as thirty years ago; light and shadows in multiple layers and forms, reflections and glare in glass, translucent water, drifting clouds, the glow of twilight, astonishing sunrises and sunsets, complex angles of the sunlight, rainfall that mimics the real thing in sight and sound, a rich diversity of dragonflies and butterflies, and even multiple shades to the paint on the wall.Contrary to European culture, a haunted house (a sub-theme of the film) is not necessarily a bad or scary thing. Japanese spirits and demons are good or bad, or more often both, depending on the circumstances. Please listen to the film in Japanese, as the fastidious Miyazaki takes great care to choose the perfect voices. Plus it is rewarding to learn some Japanese (konichiwa! moshi, moshi!) The filmmakers must have spent time observing kids to know and reveal their antics so well. Released by Studio Ghibli at the same time as Grave of Fireflies.

I don't think that I can recommend this movie enough. The animation is amazing. The story is amazing. The characters are interesting. A lot of this story is told visually and it is so perfect. I love this movie. Everything is done extremely well. This movie is a magical adventure and if you haven't seen it yet then what are you waiting for?

What a great movie that will appeal to people of all ages.

The Music Box Theater not too far away from my house was playing this movie as part of a week long celebration of Studio Ghibli. Being the opportunistic animation watcher that I am, I decided to make today a suitable view for this film, which was on my watchlist. So, what be my thoughts?The animation, as with anything spawned from Studio Ghibli, can only be described with rather bombastically high quality language. While the humans look familiar in style to other Ghibli films (not that it's a fault), Totoro and the other spirits have a design that I really enjoy. It's no wonder that Totoro ended up becoming the Studio Ghibli mascot. The environments are lush, which is a pretty major compliment to pay an animated film from 1988 given how Oliver and Company had really only one OK setting. The story is captivating, although there are some points in the script that I will say weren't done too well in the 2005 dubbing (Mei's cries don't sound like actual 4-year-old cries). The humor, however, blasts full force from both the script and animation, including the infamous Totoro jump scene. I was laughing a lot of the time and a smile remained on my face when the movie ended. As we go for music, it's surprisingly memorable for a movie that isn't a musical; I swear that I could get the main background theme stuck in my head if I watch this one more time. And for characters, I appreciated how Satsuki kept by Mei's side even when their relationship roughened based on their mother, which was a very great message. Most people would probably find Totoro cute (since his merchandise is EVERYWHERE), but I find him more hilarious and fascinating than actually adorable. I don't have much to say for the side characters except that they, like in previous Studio Ghibli movies, succeed in what the script has provided for them.Like almost every film Studio Ghibli has produced, this is a film that I can recommend to any family, otaku, or just the common audience. Just keep the volume down when you watch it, though; some parts of the film nearly slit my eardrums. Children may find Totoro somewhat scary at times, let alone too loud. Regardless, this is a premier family film, and no family deserves to miss it.