Synopsis
Two young children move to a new house with their father. Their mother is in the hospital,but they are hopeful she is getting better. In the garden, they have access to a magical world ofspirit creatures. This is a gentle, warm work, with the same delight in the fantastic as is present inPrincess Mononoke and Spirited Away (though unlike those films, this one can be enjoyed evenby very young children). Sweet but never cloying, moving but never saccharine, funny, andfrequent…y awe-inspiring in the beauty of its imagery, this is an all-ages film of the very bestkind.
Audio
My Neighbor Totoro deserves better than this. The only sound option is the dubbed Englishtrack, and while the dubbing isn’t bad as these things go, there is some buzz on the dialogue. Aswell, this is supposedly 2.0 surround, but I detected absolutely nothing coming out of the rearspeakers. So I’m declaring this soundtrack mono. What I did hear is a fair bit of static from thefront speakers during some of the quiet scenes.
Video
Not only is the film dubbed, it’s cropped to fullscreen. Fortunately, the beauty of the coloursis preserved. The film is gorgeous, and the transfer is at least clean and sharp, even if thepresentation is rather disrespectful.
Special Features
A very basic menu, and the only extras are trailers for Bushwhacked, Lucas,, and Far fromHome: The Adventures of Yellow Dog.
Closing Thoughts
A top-notch film, but a dismal package. I understand the Japanese DVD is infinitelysuperior.
Special Features List
- Trailers
