 Well last night I saw Totoro in the cinema on the big screen. It showed only two nights in regal cinemas I think. Sunday night was dubbed in English and Monday night was original Japanese with subtitles. And that's the one that I saw. I didn't know I was going to see that but I was really pleased. Because that's the way you should see foreign films. In their original language the way they intended it to sound. Especially Miyazaki because he's so meticulous about the way his films sound. This was something that came as a surprise to me. I only learned about it a week ago because when I went to see Wonder Woman there was a poster advertising Miyazaki films in theaters for the rest of the year. And luckily I got in on the first one. Next month July 23 and 24 is going to be Kiki. They're going to show Kiki. So go online and look that up. I had seen Totoro only once a long time ago. My memory of it, it's hard for me to remember exactly what I thought about it at the time. But I do remember thinking it was really thin on plot. That it was really thin plot wise. And it is but not as much as I remembered from that one viewing. It's more of a character piece and more of a slice of life kind of piece which is the kind of thing that Miyazaki is so good at. Which brings up the point that I want to make about Miyazaki in general. He knows how to capture children both in his portrayal of them and in the audience. He knows how to catch their attention and keep their attention. You can take your children no matter how small they are to see a Miyazaki film in a theater. And they will sit quiet through the entire film with their eyes riveted to the screen. That's true for pretty much any of the Miyazaki films that are intended for children. While we were waiting for this film to start they had a quiz going up on the screen as they do. And one of the questions on there pointed out that Totoro was originally shown in Japan on a double bill with Grave of the Fireflies. And I was saying what? Because I've seen Grave of the Fireflies. It was animated by Studio Ghibli but it was not a Miyazaki film. But wow. Grave of the Fireflies is not a happy film and I wouldn't call it a children's film at all. But somehow Studio Ghibli marketed it together with Totoro. And I read about this on Wikipedia just before I started. Because of that Totoro failed at the box office. Because people were literally driven out of the theaters by the horror of Grave of the Fireflies. What happens in Grave of the Fireflies, by the way, in the very first scene the little boy who's the protagonist of the film dies of starvation. That's the first thing that happens. I don't know. I don't know. They made a mistake. Apparently it was the merchandise sales of Totoro toys after the film's release that actually saved the studio. And now Totoro is so... I don't have to sell you on Totoro, I'm sure. Everybody knows Totoro. It's almost as... images of Totoro are almost as widespread as Hello Kitty. I mean, it's everywhere. But I'm sure you've seen the Totoro character. And there's more than one Totoro in the film, by the way, if you haven't seen it. You should see the film. I recommend you see it with somebody, either with family, or with your children, or with little nieces and nephews. If you haven't seen a Miyazaki film in a theater where children are present in the theater, you should experience that. Because, like I was saying before, children are glued to the screen during Miyazaki films. Kiki coming up next month will be a perfect example of that. And later they'll be showing Castle in the Sky. Same deal. Totoro has many of the same themes that Miyazaki uses. There's usually a little girl protagonist, a nature theme, an environmental theme, a reverence for nature, and for nature spirits. Those are all over Miyazaki's films. A little girl separated from her parents. Totoro borrows a great deal from Alice in Wonderland. There's even a falling down the rabbit hole scene. In watching it this time, I was struck at how he juxtaposed trees with clouds, illustrating them in the same shapes and having them move in the wind in similar ways. I was also struck at how, at a certain point during the third act of the film, the Totoro steps aside. He basically hands the little lost girl over to other spirits, namely the cat bus, and he doesn't show up again. And as in so many of the Miyazaki films, there are great stretches of film where there's no dialogue. Miyazaki doesn't need it. He uses pictures and sounds to tell stories. And again, he captures the behavior of children so well. People were laughing all the way through this film at the little children screaming and running around and behaving like children. And then at the end of the film, when the credits were rolling, the audience was singing the Totoro music. I mean, how often do you hear audiences do that? And nobody left during the credits either. So like I said, I don't need to sell you on Totoro. I'm sure you know about Totoro. If you haven't seen it, I'm sure you know what a reputation it has. And if you have not, in fact, seen it, you should and see it with somebody. And a month from now, I'll do my review of Kiki. And you should try to see it too, okay? Bye. Please remember to press that like button. It helps my videos get seen. And then subscribe so you can come back next time. I do science fiction book, TV, and movie reviews all the time. And please consider becoming a patron. There's a link in the description below.