Skip to player
Skip to main content
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Bookmark
Share
More
Add to Playlist
Report
My Neighbor Totoro: How To Find The Bright Side In The Darkness ✨ Analysis
The Take Film TV Movie
Follow
19 hours ago
It can be very hard to imagine a way forward during scary times, but My Neighbor Totoro reminds us that we can always find a light in the darkness. When faced with what feels like insurmountable...
Category
🎥
Short film
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
It can be very hard to imagine a way forward during scary times,
00:04
but My Neighbor Totoro reminds us that we can always find a light in the darkness.
00:09
When faced with what feels like insurmountable odds,
00:12
doubt can start to creep in. About ourselves, about our abilities, and about our futures.
00:17
My Neighbor Totoro provides a simultaneously whimsical and honest look at how we can keep hope
00:22
in the dark times, and work on figuring out how to build a brighter tomorrow together.
00:27
Thank you!
00:30
My Neighbor Totoro finds sisters Satsuki and Mei moving into a new house with their father.
00:35
Their mother has fallen ill,
00:37
and so they've moved to be closer to the hospital she's staying at while she recovers.
00:41
This isn't the first time their mother's illness has caused her to have to stay in the hospital,
00:45
which leads to the girls having to deal with opposing feelings,
00:48
believing that she'll be okay as she has been the times before,
00:51
but also worried that this time will be different and worse.
00:56
This is just like last time. They said Mom just had a little cold,
00:59
and she'd be home in a few days.
01:01
What will we do if she dies?
01:02
Satsuki!
01:05
Maybe she's dead already.
01:06
Processing our feelings, especially as children,
01:09
can be incredibly difficult, especially under these kinds of circumstances.
01:14
Mei, we just have to wait a little longer.
01:16
No!
01:19
You want her to die, Mei? Is that what you want?
01:21
No!
01:22
No!
01:23
On top of her concern for her mother, Satsuki is also upset by the fact that all of the adults
01:28
around her seem to be lying to her, hiding the severity of the truth in order to shield her from
01:33
it. They think that hiding things from her will make it easier for her to cope, but it actually
01:38
just makes it more difficult for her, because feeling like everyone is lying to her about something
01:43
so serious only makes her feel like things are flying even more out of her control.
01:47
Did something happen to her, Dad? Do you think she's okay?
01:50
Let's not worry. I'll call the hospital and then I'll call you right back, okay?
01:55
Having to deal with things outside of our control can be difficult and even scary.
02:00
In Satsuki, we can see how the pressure of that fear, if bottled up,
02:03
can lead us to lashing out at those closest to us,
02:06
since we can't figure out how to go after the actual problem.
02:10
You're such a baby! Just grow up!
02:15
She's so mean!
02:18
Mei, being the younger sibling, has to deal with a similar but separate issue,
02:22
feeling like no one believes her because she's so young.
02:26
When she first sees Totoro, she's convinced that no one believes her.
02:30
Quit laughing! I really did see Totoro! I'm not lying!
02:35
Because people often seem to be covering up truths or only providing partial information
02:40
to her and her sister, on a subconscious level, she's come to feel like everyone else must also
02:45
think that she's doing the same thing, even when she's telling the truth.
02:49
In tandem to the girls' growing frustrations, however,
02:52
we also see the importance of the community around them, big and small.
02:57
Mommy, do you like haunted houses?
02:59
Of course! I'll have to get better soon so I can meet some ghosts.
03:03
Their father does his best to keep them from despair, pointing out the positives when they come,
03:07
and their granny is there for support too.
03:09
We also see the more whimsical elements of their world come out to provide support as well.
03:14
Totoro appears to them in their times of need to deliver some much needed levity and joy.
03:19
And even the tiny suit sprites play an important role,
03:22
reminding the girls that magic, and helpers, can exist even in the darkness.
03:26
Normally you can't see soot gremlins, but every once in a while,
03:29
when you go from a bright place to a dark one, you can catch a glimpse of them.
03:32
In My Neighbor Totoro, the suit sprites disappear after they decide that the family is nice,
03:37
and so leave the home to them.
03:38
We were given an even better understanding of the suit sprites when they appeared again
03:42
in 2001's Spirited Away.
03:44
Don't need any help, the face is full of shit.
03:47
I just cast a spell on them and I've got all the work as I need.
03:51
Here, we can see that even though they're small, they can have a big impact,
03:55
and provide important assistance to Shiro on her journey.
03:58
A pervasive theme throughout the film is the fear of being abandoned.
04:02
The girls' main initial worry is losing their mother.
04:05
May, the doctor said that mom's not doing well, so she doesn't get to come home this weekend.
04:12
No fear!
04:13
But their fear grows as they hit new obstacles,
04:16
and feel like they might be losing even more people they love.
04:19
When their dad is late to pick them up, they fear that he'll never come,
04:23
until Totoro appears and reminds them that not all is lost.
04:27
And Satsuki has to deal with the fear of losing the person closest to her,
04:30
her sister, when May runs away and cannot be found.
04:34
I shouldn't have yelled at her, this is all my fault.
04:36
When you feel like you've been abandoned,
04:38
it can seem like the walls are closing in and you've run out of options.
04:41
But thankfully, Satsuki remembers that she doesn't have to go through this scary time alone,
04:46
and turns to her community for help.
04:48
Let me in to see Totoro. May's lost. It's getting dark.
04:52
And she's out there all alone. Please let me in to see him. It's an emergency.
04:56
The film doesn't shy away from the harsher parts of reality to sugarcoat things,
05:00
in the same way that just because they're children,
05:02
that doesn't mean that Satsuki and May aren't having their own full experiences of pain and fear.
05:08
And that is integral to its true message,
05:10
which is about how important it is to figure out how to confront that darkness and find a way to overcome it.
05:16
Everybody try laughing. Then whatever scares you will go away.
05:21
But Dad, I'm not scared.
05:24
What? I'm not scared.
05:25
And importantly, the film makes it clear that this is a group effort.
05:29
How we can find hope and courage not only within ourselves,
05:32
but in those around us and even the world at large.
05:35
Totoro isn't a magical, wish-granting being.
05:38
He doesn't swoop in and fix everything for the girls.
05:41
You must have met one of the spirits of the forest.
05:44
That means you're a very lucky girl, but you can't always see the spirits.
05:49
You can only see them when they want you to.
05:51
Instead, he brings them some levity and provides them with some new avenues for dealing with obstacles,
05:56
reminding them that even though they can't always fix everything,
05:59
looking at situations from new angles can make them a little less frightening
06:03
and make it easier to figure out a solution, or if nothing else, at least find a moment of peace.
06:09
Everything must be okay.
06:11
Real life doesn't always have a happy ending, wrapped up in a neat bow.
06:15
But we can take some important lessons from My Neighbor Totoro.
06:18
The movie is interested in unpacking how important it is to feel your feelings,
06:22
to let yourself feel them as they come, even if they're dark or negative,
06:26
so that you can work your way through them.
06:28
Our problems aren't childish and we shouldn't be told to just suck it up and deal with it.
06:31
The problems that affect us and the feelings that we have about them are real,
06:35
and trying to sugarcoat it or pretend that we can easily get over it if we bottle things up
06:39
will only make things worse.
06:42
The girls act so strong, but I think it's been harder than they let on.
06:45
Especially Satsuki. She tries to act so adult.
06:48
Building up our bonds with those closest to us, the people who really care about us,
06:53
can help us all find paths out of the darkest moments.
06:56
Throughout the film, we see how hard it can be to work through difficult times together.
07:00
Everyone is trying to protect everyone else's feelings,
07:02
while also barely being able to deal with our own.
07:05
And this can create distance and even resentment.
07:08
But even though we can't fix everything all at once,
07:10
we can find bright moments along the way that steal us for the road ahead and keep us going.
07:25
Even when the difficulties we're facing seem insurmountable,
07:28
and the odds stacked impossibly against us, we can work together to find solutions.
07:33
Oh, don't be sad. Granny's here to help.
07:36
The road ahead may not be easy, and we'll encounter obstacles that might seem impossible to overcome.
07:42
But with our own courage and the strength of our community,
07:45
we can overcome the challenges we face and begin working towards a better future.
07:50
I thought I saw Satsuki and Mei smiling at us from up in that tree.
07:54
It sounds crazy, but maybe you did. Look at this.
07:56
From mommy.
07:58
That's the take. Click here to watch the video we think you'll love.
08:02
Or here to check out a whole playlist of awesome content.
08:05
Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment
Recommended
6:41
|
Up next
My Neighbor Totoro - Path of The Wind | Piano Version
Hehnaksuntop
10 years ago
1:07:58
Modern Family: Breaking Free From Stereotypes & Finding Their True Selves | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
1:18:10
The Real Reason Modern Work Is So Soul Crushing, Explained | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
1:03:09
What Movies & TV Get Wrong (& Right!) About Personal Finance & Adulting | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
56:29
Why Everyone Wants To Eat The Rich Now (Even Other Rich People!) | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
1:18:24
Why Being A Mom Is SO Hard Now... | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
1:11:36
Fake Nice Guys, "Romantic" Red Flags, & The Toxic Relationship Obsession, Explained | Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
46:47
How Sibling Birth Order Affects *So Much* Of Your Life: Oldest, Middle, Youngest, Only? |Compilation
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
17:04
The Godfather vs Succession: 50 Years of Power, Greed, & The "American Dream"
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
11:05
The New Year's Eve Midnight Kiss Trope & Why People Are Over it, Explained
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
9:40
Jennifer's Body: Jennifer Might Have Been Evil But She Was Also Right...
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
10:59
The Cheating Creative Cliche, Explained - When Art Imitates Infidelity...
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:02
Eye Color Symbolism, Explained - What Each Color Means In Movies & TV
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:32
Gilmore Girls - The Truth About Emily Gilmore
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
10:34
How Shrinking People Stories Help Us Deal With Our Anxieties 🔬 Miniature People Trope, Explained
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
14:25
Holiday Rom-Coms' Problem Isn't Being Formulaic, It's...
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
11:17
New Girl's Jess: The Hard Road to Finding Confidence in Your True Self ✨
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
11:57
Nightbitch Review & Explained: A Ferocious Portrait of the Dark Truths Motherhood
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:37
Surviving Family Holiday Chaos - The Truth About The Most Stressful Season 😵💫 Trope Explained
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:07
Desperate Housewives: How Susan Became The Show's Accidental Villain... | Explained
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:05
The Smallest Movie & TV Roles With The Biggest Impact Of All Time
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
12:38
Middle Child Syndrome, Explained: The Kid Who Gets Forgotten...
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:19
The Best (& Worst) Movie & TV Redemption Arcs of All Time, Explained
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
11:36
Why The TikTok Ban Does Actually Matter (Even If You Don't Like TikTok)
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
13:05
Girl, Interrupted - Why Their "Crazy" Still Resonates 25 Years Later
The Take Film TV Movie
19 hours ago
Be the first to comment