My friend Yvonne introduced me to Totoro when I was visiting her and her husband in Beijing. I thought I was well passed cute cuddly friendly cartoon characters, but there is no resisting Totoro!The film "My Neighbour Totoro", almost 1,5 hours long, is a simple, well-crafted story of two children, who move to a house in the country with their father while their mother is in the hospital. They discover different natural creatures, like the "soot sprites" ("sotspridarna") the tiny black creatures that take over old houses unless you scare them away with smiles and laughter, and then of course this mysterious creature Totoro himself. What IS he? He's not a cat, not a troll, not a bear. He's just a HUGE furry, friendly thing. The girls' father thinks he is the guardian of the forrest.
OK, sounds very cuddly so far doesn't it, but what I like so much about the film is that it leaves so much unexplained. One moment they all sit up in a tree and play flutes, the paths in the forrest appear and disappear, the plants grow - or do they? It is just full of fun ideas! The best of all: the Cat Bus! Where did they get the idea???
I don't really want to explain too much - just watch it - you'll enjoy it!
And yes, I still have the Totoro-song as ring tone on my mobile that Yvonne downloaded for me...
/Kris C.
