Our Friend Nature: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

We are born from nature, and when we die, we're gonna get back to nature. But we often forget to cherish and enjoy nature while we live. We forget that nature is not only the source of life, but it's also our protector, comforter, and friend. This movie will remind you of that.

Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka) and Mei (Chika Sakamoto), along with their father, Tatsuo Kusakabe (Shigesato Itoi), are moving to their new house in rural area that's closer to the hospital where their mother, Yasuko (Sumi Shimamoto), is being treated. In there, they meet Totoro (Hitoshi Takagi), the forest spirit, along with other creatures. What is Totoro's intention? Is it good or bad? Can Satsuki and Mei meet with their mother again?

First, i must say that this is a very good and lovely movie from Studio Ghibli. Even though the plot is simple, but legendary director Hayao Miyazaki has made adorable characters, beautiful music, and story that is relatable with all of us. I mean, we were a kid once, right? And we know how it feels to be left by our mother, and how, in those times, we would wish we have a figure that could accompany us to play and pass the day, even if it's an imaginary one. So, this movie is for all of us, kids and adults alike.

And as usual, to talk about the meaning of this movie, i need to tell the whole story, including the ending, so Spoiler Alert!

For me, this story is a symbolism of the power of children's imagination, and more importantly, nature as the source of inspiration. Satsuki and Mei live in a time where modern entertainment hasn't existed yet. There is no video games, smartphone, or Netflix to help them pass the time. Even they must do daily chores traditionally, like pumping water, washing clothes by hands, and collecting woods from forest to cook. Tasks that not all children in these modern times can do, let alone doing it without the help from modern tools.

Their source of entertainment is the nature around them. Flowers, tadpoles, and trees are their gadgets, and forest is their playground. Miyazaki is famous with environmental message in his works, and it shows again in this movie. Acorn is the motif in this movie, and Satsuki and Mei always found it before their encounter with the forest spirits. The spirits always carry acorns around, and later, Totoro even gives them to the children to be planted. Mei wants to give a corn to her mother so she can recover more quickly. Nature is the source of life, love, and happiness in this movie.

Forest spirits in this movie are the product of Satsuki and Mei's fantasy, that's why they can't be seen by the adults or other children. It's not because the spirits decide to appear in front of them, but because they are the only kids around who are being lonely without their mother, and they need these imaginary friends to help them cope with the reality of life. The acorns that are planted by the children grow into a huge tree overnight, only to be back to small sprouts again in the morning. In the end of the movie, the children don't really meet with their mother at the hospital. These are just the children's imagination.

But these imagination are what make the children able to go through their days without their mother. Mei meet Totoro and two other smaller forest spirits when she is playing alone. They meet Totoro when they are waiting for their father at the bus stop while it's raining. They meet Totoro and the two forest spirits again when they're waiting for the acorns to grow. Finally, Satsuki is helped by Totoro and the cat bus to find Mei when she's missing, and after that, the cat bus takes them to see that their mother is just fine in the hospital.

Totoro and the other forest spirits are always there when the children need it the most, accompany them in the darkest times. We can learn from this movie that nature is our friend. It's the source of our happiness and inspiration. Research says that walking in nature, thing that we don't do much anymore in these modern times, can avoid us from anxiety and depression. So, anytime you're feeling down or blue, just go to the nearest park, maybe Totoro is waiting for you there, somewhere, with its big grin.