The Faces of Totoro

By Lekti Rose Jacobs

Hayao Miyazaki

Born January 5, 1941 (age 72)

Written & Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Release date - April 16, 1988

Key Points Hidden meanings around the subject of death. The Childs imagination

Miyazaki takes a different path. He tries to express the richness of life without dealing with death, and rarely addresses the reality of Death head on in his works. (Macwilliams, 2008)

The Totoro fantasy is simply a product of the children's imagination, an instrument of comfort devised my by Mei. (Napier, 2000)

Sources
DVD(s) My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Book(s): Japanese visual culture, by mark w. Macwilliams (2008) Watching Anime, Reading Manga, by Fred Pattern (2004) Anime, from Akira to Princess Mononoko By Susan J. Napier (2000) Masters of Animation by John Grant (2001)