My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film was additionally animated by Studio Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro takes place in 1958 Japan and follows the life of a University Professor and his two daughters Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe. The small family moves into an old house to be closer to a hospital where the girl’s mother is recovering from a sickness. Surprisingly the old house they move into is inhabited by little dust sprits. One of the girls eventually befriends one of these spirits that she calls Totoro.
My Neighbor Totoro Awards and Sucess
My Neighbor Totoro was originally released in Japanese but was later dubbed into the English language in 1993 and finally released on DVD in 2004. Since then, My Neighbor Totoro has amassed a cult-like following worldwide and has brought in over $1.5 billion in revenue since it was first released in 1988. In addition to the billions it brought in for Studio Ghibli, the film had won many awards during its lifetime. During the same year of release, My Neighbor Totoro won the Animage Anime Grand prize, the Mainichi Film Award and the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film. From this point, Totoro and Ghibli merchandise became more and more popular!
Beyond The Film
Since its release, My Neighbor Totoro has grown far beyond its film status. During the same year of release in May of 1988, the Studio released a 4 volume ani-manga book series. That same year a soundtrack was released containing music from the film composed by Joe Hisaishi. My Neighbor Totoro would even release an anime short that would be a quick follow up of events that happened after the end of the movie. The anime short was originally released in Japan in 2003 and later in the United States in 2006.
