The
fourth film in my analysis of the The
Films of Hayo Miyazaki is the children’s fantasy film, My Neighbor Totoro. A film that was so instrumental in the
foundation and overall legacy of Studio
Ghibli (a fledgling studio at the time) that became the official Mascot of
the company and the merchandise from which serves as a lifeline for the studio
between projects. Often cited as one of the best animated features in history, Totoro
was the first film to be recognized for its brilliance outside of the animation
community. Film critics like Rodger Ebert, and acclaimed director Akira
Kurosawa who not only put the film on his best 100 films of 1988[1], praised Miyazaki for the
film, especially the creation of the “Catbus”. It was something that Kurosawa
thought [He] couldn’t do, therefore he was “envious”. [2] It was Totoro that
not only garnered wide recognition but it also began to change the landscape of
animation and popular
culture itself.
PLOT
Satsuki and Mei travel
with their father to a new home in the country in 1950’s Japan. Their mother is
sick recovering nearby hospital. As they begin to settle into their new home,
Satsuki and Mei find that their house and the neighboring forest is home
to passive yet peculiar spirits; chief among them is the giant forest goblin
Mei names “Totoro”. Through several interactions both Satsuki and Mei learn
about nature and the importance of kindness. Once Mei gets word that their mother
is sick, she sets out to see her at the hospital, but ends up getting lost. It is
up to Satsuki to enlist the help of Totoro and the other spirits of the forest
to find Mei before she is lost forever.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Miyazaki
and his fellow animator Isao Takahata
were often criticized by the Japanese community early on for having too much of
a western influence; defining them as “persons with Western affectations”[3] These were people who longed
for Europe and had a preference for the products of Western culture[4] The three previous films
that he had made all had a western aesthetic to them. It was with Totoro that
Miyazaki wanted to start to repay the debt that felt to Japan by setting the
film in the Japanese countryside, and with a story that is quintessentially Japanese
in tone.
Origins
Even
if you simply scratch the surface of this film you see just how deeply personal
this film is to Miyazaki and his backstory.
He grew up in rural Japan just after World War II and he had a mother
that was gravely ill with tuberculosis. The fear of loss that he felt for his
mother, he mirrors in his characters of Satsuki and Mei.
According to Miyazaki, he also wanted to ask a deeper question:[5]
What can Japan be proud
of? Until recently, parents and kids have been able to easily answer “ nature
and seasonal beauty” but no one can say that anymore. Those of us who live in
Japan-and whop are indeed Japanese-shun [the reality of] our country, where
animation is a form of escapism. Is the country that awful, so devoid of hope
now?...Why doesn’t anyone make a delightful wonderful film set in Japan?... I
made My Neighbor Totoro with the firm belied that these things still exist.
Originally envisioned as
a picture book for children, Totoro bucked the trends of animation at
the time. Before this, there was an assumption in animation that a story without
superpowered boys and girls, with its corresponding acts of violence and heroism
would not be as entertaining, and therefore would not sell. Instead, Miyazaki
wanted to write a story about the wonder and magic of being a child; effectively
sending a message to his younger self and broader culture, that animated films
could have pathos and drama without frenetic cuts or dynamic action. That they
could also be quieter films rich is subtext and subtlety. This was such a
gamble at the time, the producers decided to release Totoro as a double
bill feature with Isao Takahata’s now animated classic The Grave of the
Fireflies[6]
about the horrors of child poverty in Japan during WWII.[7]
The Totoro Impact
According to legendary Studio
Ghibli producer Toshiro Suzuki, when Totoro was first release it was not
a box office success even if it did create a small cult following among animators
at the time. It was not until they aired it on television in Japan, where after
the broadcast they were going to give out Totoro plush toys to anyone who
requested them. In a week they received so
many requests that they filled a tractor trailer truck with just the requests
alone. Since then, Totoro has become a
national treasure in Japan much in the same way Mickey Mouse is in the US. Thus, Totoro became the official mascot of
Studio Ghibli featured on their logo thereby becoming synonymous with the
studio itself.
According to Miyazaki[8]:
[Totoro] dwelled in the
forest here a long, long time ago, when the country was nearly uninhabited. Apparently,
they live for over a thousand years…These serene carefree creatures have
dwelled in forest caves or old tree holes, away from humans…They don’t want any
commotion.
The popularity of Totoro
is everywhere.
While, Miyazaki is famous for establishing Studio Ghibli as one that is not
interested in corporate profits or hiring animators who desire status, the
proliferation of Studio Ghibli merchandise, and Totoro products specifically,
allows the studio to remain fiscally solvent in between projects. With Totoro, the company hit the marketing sweet
spot of having a licensed character that could be easily translated into a wide
array of products[9]
Not only is the image unique and now iconic, but the film does evangelize Totoro
into the embodiment of Miyazaki. Totoro, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have
synergized into one thing. They have become synonymous. Since this cultural
explosion, and Totoro has seeped into the zeitgeist of popular culture, many
animators and animation projects since have paid homage to the brilliance of
Totoro
SOCIAL ANALYSIS
Set in the late 1950’s to early 1960’s this film is a subtle
commentary on the post war reformation Japan went through after World War II.
Longing to tell a story about childhood and the environment, Miyazaki needed to
set it is a space where children were not distracted by TV or other technologies
at a time where children still went out and played. Miyazaki wanted to create a
story that expressed the feelings of childhood with the understanding that such
a time is impermanent.
Primary and Gender Socialization
In Sociology, childhood is a developmental
stage. It is within childhood that we start to engage in the social world through
the process of socialization. Primary socialization is the social learning
process (of comprehending the rules, regulations as norms of society) that is
from birth through childhood. In this stage we are primarily impacted by family
friends and the media in shaping our understanding of the social world. In the world of Totoro, the primary socializers for Mei and Satsuki
are their father, mother and “other” neighbor they call “Granny”.
Primary socialization
children also get socialized by gender. Gender socialization is the process by
which individuals learn what it means to be male, female masculine feminine and/or
transgender along the gendered spectrum within a particular society. Mei and Satsuki are young enough that they
are still in that social space where not a lot of gendered norms are strictly
enforced as they will once they become teenagers. There are some gendered
interactions that Miyazaki gives Satsuki in her interactions with Kanta. While
she does not exclusively embody Japanese female norms Kanta has shades of
Japanese male masculinity and the important traits of selflessness and honor.
Yet, this is all vaguely alluded to within the plot of the film.
Additionally, since
Miyazaki is known for his female protagonists and his work exhibiting feminist themes
and allyship, it is of no surprise that this is a story about sisters. But what
I think is interesting to note here is the way in which theses girls are
treated by the adults. A majority of depictions
of the relationships between adults and children in film and other media show adults
gaslighting them. In multiple stories across genres we see children have some
insight or perspective on events that is not supported by the adults. Instead
the child is ignored, or told that it is
their imagination. This develops into a cultural norm where children start to
lose faith in themselves (in their own ability to interpret the world) to the
point that they become disillusioned. However,
this does not happen in Totoro. Even though the adults can not see, nor participate
in the adventures that Mei and Satsuki have with Totoro, they do not invalidate
there belief and experiences in him.
Fundamentally, this is a difference in the function of childhood.
Prepared vs. Protected childhood
The purpose of childhood
often violates between two bifurcated points. Protected childhood understands
and defines childhood to be a time in a persons life where they need to be
sheltered from the realities of the world, in order to provide a space where
the child can develop their imagination without interference and interruption from
the harshness of adulthood. Whereas Prepared Childhood looks at
childhood as a stage where children learn how to be adults; therefore, they are
given age appropriate information, answers to questions, skills and chores. Protected
childhood would support a child’s belief in Santa Claus, while Prepared
Childhood would impart the social
importance of gift giving. Each of these “styles” has worthwhile components.
Protected children tend to have a greater imagination which helps to foster
creativity and divergent thinking. Prepared children are often more independent
and can deal with crises.
While there are always
extreme examples of each of these particular types ( Look into
Snowplow Parenting); in Totoro they seem to strike a balance. The adults validate Mei and Satsuki’s belief
in Totoro even though they can’t see him (an example of protected childhood) Yet,
both girls are given chores and responsibilities for their age (prepared
childhood) In fact, the entire subplot of a sick mother indicates the harsh
realities that are on the horizon for Mei and Satsuki as they age. Their encounters
with Totoro can be seen as a whimsical respite from the cold complexities of adulthood
they will eventually face. The question
is, will they remember the lessons they learn from their adventures with the
forest spirit, or will it fade away like so many other myths and legends when
we become too old to believe in them.
Environmentalism
As previously stated, this film takes place in
a period just before the Japanese industrial boom. Where rural areas were scarcely
connected. Here Miyazaki blends childhood innocence with environmentalism. It
is because the two protagonists are children that they can see spirits and
understand the spiritual link humanity needs to have with the environment. His environmental message is more subtle here,
than in his previous films. Yet, Totoro being a Goblin of the forest living in the
Neighboring big tree (that looks
a lot like the tree from the end of Castle
in the Sky) and collects acorns that he plants in the ground are all in
line with Miyazaki’s environmental message and something that he solidifies as
a theme in this film.
The sequence in Totoro
that embodies this theme is the garden dream sequence in which Totoro, as
the spirit of the forest blesses and helps the acorns Mei and Satsuki planted
grow. It is here that Miyazaki perfectly encapsulates the majesty of the environment
with the wonder of childhood. They do not question such a magical thing is
possible, and the source of that magic is the earth. Yet, there is this sense
that the time they have is fleeting. They must savor it, cherish it and learn
from it if they are going to keep the importance of the planet in their hearts
and environmentalism as a goal when they reach adulthood.
CONCLUSION
Of all of Miyazaki’s
films My Neighbor Totoro is for children. Within the text and subtext of the film the
goal is to make the next generation better adults and better people. In this he strikes a balance between fostering
the imagination and creativity that a child’s mind can create, while also
understanding that they can, and will be forced to deal with the bitter and unforgivingly
monotonous existence of adulthood. Very few people were able to strike such a
perfect balance between innocence and culpability in their own life and it is
even rarer when we look at pieces of popular culture. However, that is the
magic and Importance of Totoro and Miyazaki himself as a creator.
[1]
Greeburg, Raz (2012) Giri and Ninjo: The Roots of Hayao Miyazaki's "My
Neighbor Totoro" in Animated Adaptations of Classic Children's Literature.
Literature/Film Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 2 pp 96-108
[3]
Letter from Toshiro Suzuki for the Blu-Ray Release of My Neighbor Totoro
[4] Letter
from Toshiro Suzuki for the Blu-Ray Release of My Neighbor Totoro
[5]
Letter from Hayao Miyazaki The Art of My Neighbor Totoro
[7] That
double bill seems so radical to me. If one were to watch these back to back, I
would hope that you would watch Grave first and then use Totoro
as a pallet cleanser. If you watch them in the reverse order, you get swept up
in this magical fantasy in Totoro only to have it all ripped away with
the crushing realities in Graves Geez!
[8] Letter
from Hayao Miyazaki The Art of My Neighbor Totoro
[9]
The film does such a great job making you feel how fluffy Totoro is, that one
of the best sellers in the history of Studio Ghibli is the Plush Totoro doll
