What does Totoro symbolize?

Totoro exists as a metaphor to explain some of the mysteries of the world through the eyes of a child. Totoro, the king of the forest. Totoro is far and away the film's most interesting — and adorable — device: he is nature personified in a giant, fuzzy, cat/rabbit-like Snorlax.

What Totoro means?

Origin:Japanese. Meaning:From Tororo; Troll.

What is Totoro known for?

One of the most famous and loved of these films is My Neighbor Totoro, the heartwarming tale of two sisters adjusting to life in the country as they meet the titular forest monster who helps the girls come to terms with their new life.

Why is the mom sick in Totoro?

Trivia (25) The film is partially autobiographical. When Hayao Miyazaki and his brothers were children, his mother suffered from spinal tuberculosis for nine years, and spent much of her time hospitalized. It is implied, yet never revealed in the film, that Satsuki and Mei's mother also suffers from tuberculosis.

Is Totoro a death god?

The dark side supports that Mei dies when she gets lost, and Satsuki, not being able to live with this, opens the death's door in order to reunite with her. Totoro is a Death God who came in order to take them. By the end of the film both girls are dead and, sadly, their mom will join them soon.

Studio Ghibli Analysis: My Neighbour Totoro

What kind of creature is Totoro?

For what it's worth, Miyazaki defines Totoro as a woodland creature who eats acorns. Neither a bear nor a giant racoon, Totoro is a kind of loveable blunderbuss that gives the girls magic and love when they are missing their invalid mother. He's the kind of imaginary friend we all wished we had.

What is the moral of My Neighbor Totoro?

Whether Totoro is real or not, their dad is there to be a part of their world with them. Kindness is always the answer. Umbrellas=little random acts of kindness. The characters all sharing their umbrellas show kids that kindness is a great way to make new friends!

Why is Totoro so loved?

With its strong emphasis on Japanese culture, it is understandable why My Neighbor Totoro is more popular in Japan than in the United States. That's not to say that the film has not found an American following. The film is incredibly popular among viewers who are interested in animè, filmmaking, and animation.

Is Totoro a spirit?

Totoro, as supported by a number of accounts, is said to be a spirit of the forest. Some sources reveal that there is not only one huge totoro but medium and small sized totoros as well. In different depictions, Totoro appears to hold different colors varying from white, blue, to gray.

What is Totoro tattoo?

Totoro Tattoo Meaning

The obvious meaning of the Totoro tattoo is to give the person with the tattoo a sense of nostalgia. We've also gathered that the Totoro Tattoo symbolizes sincerity, spontaneity, belief in miracles, optimism and an obvious interest in Japanese anime.

Why does Totoro have a leaf?

Noticing that the Totoro has only a leaf on its head for protection against the rain, Satsuki offers it her father's umbrella and explains how to use it. The Totoro seems greatly pleased by the sound that raindrops make on the umbrella's taught fabric.

What is the Blue Totoro called?

Blue Totoro has a burglar-like bag filled with acorns. His name is Chu Totoro. White Totoro is a Mouse-like little brother to Blue Totoro. His name is Chibi Totoro.

What do the acorns mean in Totoro?

They're seeds for trees, and food for animals. Miyazaki doesn't tell us that, but we know it, and so do Satsuki and Mei. The acorns lead to the soot sprites. They're NOT natural objects, at least not in the REAL world. They're creatures of fantasy, the first ones we see in the film.

Is Totoro a dream?

A bus really would seem magical to these kids

But Totoro is still a story of imagination, even if its magic is somewhat real within its world, and it's easy to see why the Catbus would be a figure of fantasy within this postwar setting. Modern travel took a while to hit Japan.

What are the spirits in Totoro?

The Soot Sprites (すすワタリ, Susuwatari, lit. "Travelling Soot" a.k.a. "Mak-kuro Kurosuke") are spirits that appear in the films My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. They are small, round balls made from the soot that dwells in old and abandoned houses and leave black dirt in their wake.

Is Totoro happy ending?

Fortunately, the girls end up adapting well and eventually make new friends. Having said that, whether the audience finds Totoro real or not, his existence in the film definitely alleviates some of the heavy stuff that Satsuki and Mei are going through.

Why is Totoro in Toy Story 3?

When asked about the cameo of Totoro in Toy Story 3, John Lasseter said, "We do little homages in our films, and we thought it was a very appropriate homage to let [Miyazaki and his film company] Studio Ghibli know how much they mean to us." Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter have been longtime friends, and Pixar has ...

Is My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away connected?

There is no concrete evidence that all the films exist in the same world, though minor characters do cross over. For example, the soot sprites who appear in the first act of My Neighbor Totoro, later appear in Spirited Away.

Is Totoro a deity?

The legend goes as follows: Totoro is the God of Death, and anyone who can see him is either dead or close to dying. The affirmation is strong enough on its own. We know Miyazaki looooves metaphors, and Studio Ghibli seems to have a weak spot for gods and spirits.

Is Totoro based on a real animal?

No. In fact, Totoro is a completely different animal, and there's more than one kind — there are three!

What yokai is Totoro based on?

Some claim Totoro is based off of specific Japanese folk creatures like Koropokkuru. And a few years ago, a wild conspiracy theory categorized him as a 'god of death.

Is Totoro a monster?

There, the girls meet a variety of woodland spirits, most notably, Totoro, a sometimes scary but generally friendly and protective monster who looks like a cross between a cat, a bear, and an owl.

What are the little Totoros called?

There are two similar, smaller creatures in the movie, also referred to as totoro; the big grey Totoro is named "Ō-Totoro", or "Miminzuku", the middle is "Chū-Totoro", or "Zuku", and the smallest is "Chibi-Totoro", or "Mini".

Is Totoro a rabbit or a cat?

He has been called many things from "a giant furry thing" to "a rabbit-like spirit". Basically, he is a spirit of the forest. Totoro is not a traditional Japanese character: he came completely from Miyazaki's imagination.

How old is Mei in Totoro?

In MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, it's 1958 Japan, and 10-year-old Satsuki (voiced by Dakota Fanning for the English-dubbed version), 4-year-old Mei (Elle Fanning), and their father (Tim Daly) move to the countryside where their mother is hospitalized with a long-term illness.