Kerri Johnson
Dr.Childs
English 1301
3, October 2012
My
Review of My Neighbor Totoro
This movie was really interesting to me. I
have never been into or really have watched any Japanese animation so I really
enjoyed it. The only animation that I can relate this too is Disney. I found it
to be similar to Disney but it had its own qualities I liked the basic story of
family the movie portrayed was great. Even though the film was animated it was
similar to real life family events and situations but Disney’s animation is
mostly based on fairy tales.
One of the other reasons I found it
interesting is that the movie didn’t have a villain like most animated films.
If you have watched many Disney films like I have, they all pretty much have
some sort of villain in them. Someone is always hurting someone else. I like that this movie was really wholesome.
It was more focused on the family. No violence or mean-hearted acts. The kids
were so happy to play with each other. This let their imagination run wild. I
think Roger Ebert said it best in his review of this movie. He stated “Here is
a children’s film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we
occupy. No fight scenes. No evil adults. No fighting between the two kids. No
scary monsters. No darkness before dawn. A world that is benign. A world where
if you meet a strange towering creature in the forest, you can curl up on its
tummy and have a nap.”
The animation in this movie was also
interesting too. It was very simple looking but still very defined. I enjoyed
the simplicity of the animation. I believe that the animator drew this film
frame by frame. This takes hours and hours to complete. This is a classic way
of making animated films. I’m not a fan
of all the high tech animation that is popular today. I know they use computers
do this and it is still a lot of work. I think sometimes that can take away
some the story that is the movie is trying to tell. Sometimes less is just so
much more.
The movie reminded me of a classic
Disney film, Alice in Wonderland. Both movies had a kind of make believe world
and a reality world. They both fell down a hole of some sort to get to see the
make believe characters. The main characters in each movie were guided by the
make believe characters. The only thing that I can point out that was a huge
difference is again this movie didn’t have the violent indications like Alice
did. The queen in Alice wanted to cut off heads of some of the other characters
in the movie.
I also liked the way this movie portrayed
the family dynamics. Most movies give dads a bad reputation or just don’t show
them at all. In My neighbor Totoro the dad is basically on his own taking care
of the kids. His wife is sick and has been hospitalized for a while. The oldest
daughter, Satsuki, helped out a lot especially with little Mei. The
relationship with the two sisters was great. I loved how they were so happy.
The laughter was so addicting. I found myself laughing with them. It was great
to watch a film like that.
I think children should have
imaginary friends and this movie is a great attest to that. These girls had a
huge gap missing in their lives at this time, their mother. Totoro helped them
fill that void. This film was a positive portrayal of a family and I think
that’s what missing in today’s film be it animation or not. Even though the
film was animated it was similar to real life family events and situations.
Even though the film was animated it was similar to real life family events and situations but Disney animation is mostly based on fairytales. This sentence was the thesis for your essay.
ReplyDeleteReal life family events; I like that you stated that the movie was really wholesome and more focused on the family. You made examples of the father taking care of children on his own. Satsuki helping out with little sister Mei. The relationship the sisters had. You covered the first part of your thesis.
Disney animation is mostly based on fairytales; I like that you stated that the Disney films you watched and liked had some sort of villan. I would of liked for you to explain more about the fairytales. The example you gave of the disney film alice in wonderland had make believe world and reality world. But not fairytale you gave the example of the queen being the villan when she wanted to cut off heads of some of the characters.I thought that the film was a good example of being compared to the movie My Neighbor Totoro because of the make belive and reality world.
The source you used from Roger Ebert,was explained throughout your essay. I was able to understand the reason you used it. I was also able to understand what you were trying to explain, it was in order and made sense. I also liked the conclusion in how you gave your opinion of the film. Also summarizing what you wrote throughout the essay and restating your thesis.
Overall all my opinions, I hope my opinion could be constructive for you.
Good job! I was expecting a compare and contrast of a Disney vs. Anime argument and then I kept reading and I seen bits of it being about a great family movie. Either direction is going to be awesome. I would suggest you make your intentions more clear.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great essay to read. Your compare and contrast to a Disney film is what most of us think of when we watch this movie, however you do have sentences that are about it being similar to real life situations. Although you do a good job with both I suggest you pick on of the two and stick with it. The way you have it now its a bit jumpy, and a little confusing.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this essay. However; there is no cohesiveness when transitioning between paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteI did see a lot of "I"s in this like I originally had in mine, but Dr Childs prefers us not to us them and just state the opinion being given as a stronger point. Adding in the Disney and Roger Ebert point was good as well. But when typing the name of a movie it is supposed to be italicized.
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