My Neighbor Totoro

This film is a charming and slow-paced depiction of rural life in Japan. Set in 1958 (Showa 33), the story follows a university professor and his two daughters who move into an old house near a forest, as their wife and mother is recovering from tuberculosis at a nearby hospital. The daughters discover "soot sprites," also known as "Soot Gremlins." The younger daughter chases after a small Totoro, which leads her to find the forest guardian, "Totoro." Fascinated by them, she resolves to find the large Totoro. One rainy evening, while the girls are waiting for their father, they encounter a large Totoro using a leaf to shield itself from the rain. When the younger daughter tries to bring an ear of corn to her mother in the hospital but gets lost, her older sister Satsuki searches everywhere for her and finally seeks help from the large Totoro. With its assistance, Mei is quickly found. The Catbus summoned by Totoro takes Satsuki and Mei through the countryside to visit their mother at the hospital.