My Neighbor Totoro

In short

My Neighbor Totoro keeps showing family love, gratitude and kindness from neighbours: the girls thank people constantly, help with chores, share an umbrella with Totoro, and a whole village turns out to search for a lost child. The worst moments are mild: Kanta's teasing and a white lie, adults calling kids 'fool' or 'dirty' for laughs, and Mei's tantrums. The hardest scene is a sisters' quarrel where Satsuki snaps 'You want her to die?' and 'Just grow up!', which she clearly regrets and makes right. There's no violence, romance or crude humour, but young or sensitive children may need support through the worry about the mother's illness ('Maybe she's dead already') and the search where a sandal is found in a pond.

All 15 values

Moments to check (6)

Lines that might mean more than the words say. Watch these bits yourself.

• 00:02:50Mei, hide... a policemanlowgirls hiding from police while riding in the truck; played as a joke
• 00:17:43I hate boyslowthrowaway line a young child may repeat
• 00:38:19Quit laughing!lowimplies family laughed at Mei's story before Dad reassures her
• 01:08:04You want her to die, Mei?mediumharsh sibling words about a sick mother; later regretted
• 01:09:44Maybe she's dead alreadyhighchild's fear of a parent dying; may upset children with ill family
• 01:14:24found a sandal in the pondhighimplies a possible drowning; searchers drag ditches