Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Sisters Satsuki and Mei move with their father to an old country house so they can live nearer their hospitalized mother. Exploring the fields and forest, Mei encounters small spirits and a vast, gentle creature the children call Totoro.
Why it belongs
Hayao Miyazaki finds wonder in wind, rain, trees, chores, and a child's uncertain glimpse of gentle forest spirits.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
The patient tempo lets family adjustment and imaginative discovery share the same gentle physical world. Miyazaki assembles wonder from wind, rain, insects, trees, household chores, and the uncertain scale of creatures seen through children.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound72IMDb Top 250192AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.2
Engagement9.2
Ease9.6
Japanese · Not Rated Animated Feature Mood: Imaginative & Accessible
