I always wonder, how can Totoro be this cute?? I mean, look at him — he's huge, plump, fluffy…
And, most importantly, sooooo huggable!! Awww... my heart might just explode from this cuteness overload!
Chibi Totoro, Chu Totoro, and Totoro-Oh
I used to think that Totoro referred to only the creature that appears as the logo of Studio Ghibli, but that’s not entirely true, as I found out later.
The small beings that look like the giant Totoro are also referred to as Totoro. So, there are three types of Totoros: Chibi Totoro (small Totoro), Chu Totoro (medium Totoro), and Totoro-oh (king of Totoro).
Chibi Totoro (“chibi” means “small” in Japanese) is the tiniest of all Totoros. With white fur, big curious eyes, and bird-like feet, Chibi Totoro is quick, agile, and can turn invisible.
Chu Totoro (“chu” means “middle” in Japanese) is the medium-size Totoro. It sports blue fur and three upward-pointing chevrons on its belly. With a bouncy tail and three handy claws, Chu Totoro is always ready for adventures!
Totoro-oh (“oh” means “king” in Japanese) is the majestic Totoro whose face becomes Ghibli’s iconic mascot. He’s colossal, easily three times the size of a child, and has many chevrons on his chest. His eyes surprisingly aren’t much larger than those of Chibi and Chu Totoros, but his smile is always wide and radiant, accompanied by three big whiskers poofing out on either side.
While I’ve known the Totoro I'm familiar with is Totoro-oh, I still prefer to call him with just “Totoro” because this name sounds cute and suits him perfectly!
Master of the forest
“Tonari no Totoro” or “My Neighbor Totoro”, where the gentle giant Totoro made his first appearance, is the creation of Hayao Miyazaki and had its premiere on April 16, 1988.
Miyazaki’s animations are widely recognized as “inherently Japanese”, embodying Japanese values and celebrating a Japanese view of nature that portrays it as a pristine, tranquil sanctuary.
Miyazaki himself is renowned for embracing deep-rooted native Shinto beliefs, which he skillfully weaves into his works, including My Neighbor Totoro. The theme of animism consistently takes center stage across his creations.
In fact, Totoro himself exhibits animistic traits and possesses supernatural qualities. Crowned as “mori no nushi” or “master of the forest”, he wields the ability to make acorns blossom and flourish with a mere gesture, and nature responds to his every command as if attuned to his power.
The home he establishes within the grandest and oldest camphor tree in the forest also aligns with the natural dwelling space of kami spirits. This notion is accentuated by the presence of a traditional Shinto gate marking the entrance to the tree's vicinity, along with the “shimenawa”, a rope of religious consecration, wrapped around its trunk.
Plus, the way he moves with ease and the powerful roar that seems to fill the air with a gust of wind, it all makes him this awe-inspiring figure, precisely like a god that demands respect. Totoro acts just like what is expected from a kami: deserving both admiration and reverence from anyone who meets him.
When Mei returns from her encounter with Totoro, the film depicts her father taking her and her sister to the shrine to greet and express gratitude to Totoro. This practice echoes a common Shinto tradition of showing respect and appreciation to kami after an encounter.
Based on Miyazaki’s own childhood
It appears that Totoro holds a deeply personal connection to Miyazaki and evokes feelings of nostalgia in him.
Set in his own hometown, Tokorozawa City, during the 1950s — a once lushy forested farming community now engulfed by the suburbs of Tokyo — My Neighbor Totoro is said to be crafted from Miyazaki's own childhood experiences. At that time, his mother fell ill, prompting the family to move closer to a hospital for her treatment.
In the novelization of My Neighbor Totoro, it becomes clear that the mother is suffering from tuberculosis — the same disease that affected Miyazaki's own mother, causing her to have spinal tuberculosis.
The film’s portrayal of Mei and Satsuki's father taking care of them along with their mother during her illness, highlights how much of a role model Miyazaki's father was to him.
Miyazaki himself once admitted in Susan Jollile Napier’s 2018 biography “Miyazakiworld: A Life of Art” that the film draws heavily from his own life experiences. During an argument with a colleague who doubted the existence of a “good kid” like Satsuki, Miyazaki firmly replied, “She did exist! She was me!”
The reason Miyazaki decided to portray his child self as girls, rather than boys, was because he saw using boys as protagonists might have created too high a level of emotional intensity that wouldn’t match the whimsical, light-hearted nature he wanted My Neighbor Totoro to have.
The path to freedom and growth
I feel that Miyazaki truly nailed it with My Neighbor Totoro, as it did capture the hearts of both young viewers, who were exploring a whole new film world, and their parents and grandparents, who felt a sweet pang of nostalgia for Japan's bygone years in pursuit of a brighter future.
The masterfully crafted tale in the film indeed aimed to inspire kids to love nature and remind grown-ups to cherish its wonders. For Miyazaki, nature holds the key to our freedom and growth. Whether it’s magical or ordinary, its elements offer valuable lessons to guide us on our path, and I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
When we connect with nature, a wonderful sense of openness and harmony washes over us, creating a space to escape the daily rush, find peace, and feel deeply connected to the world around us. Nature indeed liberates us from the burdens of modern life and artificial constraints that can weigh us down.
As we journey through My Neighbor Totoro, we're treated to breathtaking scenes of rural areas embraced by nature's arms, from lush forests to rolling hills and crystal-clear streams. These places have a natural charm that perfectly fosters healing with their slower pace of life, fresh air, pure water, local produce, and tranquil vibes.
And as the film unfolds, we witness nature's incredible power to heal not only our physical wounds but also the deep-seated troubles of our minds and souls. Within the anime's captivating realm, magic and reality come together, creating a wondrous wonderland for us to explore.
Great friendship starts from small acts of kindness
My Neighbor Totoro itself is a beautiful metaphor, filled with meaningful symbols through which Miyazaki conveys his heartfelt messages.
In simple terms, Mei and Satsuki symbolize the innocent and pure nature of human souls, while Totoro represents the essence of nature.
Their remarkable bond began with Mei and Satsuki's small acts of kindness.
Mei didn’t fear or treat Totoro with cruelty; instead, she saw him with amazement and pure wonder, befriending him with open arms.
Satsuki offered Totoro their father’s umbrella during a rain shower when she and Mei were waiting for him at a bus stop, as she noticed Totoro had only a leaf on his head to protect himself from the rain. In return, Totoro gave her and Mei a bunch of nuts and seeds wrapped in a bamboo leaf.
After that, Totoro revealed himself only to Satsuki and Mei, becoming their mentor and protector, guiding them through adventures in the forest and introducing them to the wonders of the natural world.
When Mei went missing on her way to the hospital, Satsuki sought Totoro’s help in the woods, and Totoro gladly obliged. He summoned the Catbus to send Satsuki off to find Mei and later gave both girls a thrilling ride to the hospital.
These heartwarming examples of comfort and assistance from Miyazaki's friendly supernatural creatures exemplify the idea of living in harmony with nature, showing reverence for its power, and finding happiness and solace in its beauty.
If we nurture nature, nature will nurture us back. As shown in the interactions between the Mei-Satsuki sisters and Totoro, the sisters showered Totoro with kindness, and Totoro came to help them when they were in trouble.
Our neighbor, Totoro
In the film, Mei and Satsuki’s father taught them: “Back then, man and trees were friends.”
I now feel that it's not Mei and Satsuki, but us who need more to relearn and remember a love for nature. Our ancestors knew this connection with nature long time ago, but we, their grandchildren, seem to have forgotten this completely.
Totoro isn't just a neighbor to Mei and Satsuki; he embodies nature itself. So, in a sense, Totoro is our neighbor too, and we're meant to live in harmony with nature as neighbors.
As humans, we've always relied on and thrived in nature. We benefit from its gifts, while also safeguarding ourselves from its dangers.
Nature is both beautiful and unpredictable, sometimes becoming a formidable force. And because of that, Our ancestors had a mix of admiration and fear for nature's power, leading them to worship it.
But as we became more civilized and modern, we created numerous systems and mechanisms to buffer ourselves from nature, and exerted various controls on nature to make it only show us its good side.
Now, it's time for introspection: Is it fair to only take from nature without giving back? Shouldn’t a good relationship be based on balanced give and take?
Maybe we need to view nature as a living entity, not just an object we can control. Nature, like us, can be happy, sad, frightened, or angry. It may reveal its good and bad sides depending on how we treat it, or even based on its “mood”, just like us.
Seeing nature as akin to ourselves helps us become more understanding. It helps us see with our hearts if we've been fair or unkind to nature — to our neighbor, Totoro — and what we should do to make things right again.
