My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro (Japanese: となりのトトロ Hepburn: Tonari no Totoro) is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.

Plot
The movie tells the story of the two young girls named Satsuki and Mei, who are the daughters of a professor and their ill mother, and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The animation has that Studio Ghibli touch, looking beautiful and with well-detailed backgrounds. Not to mention how all the characters brought to life by this animation all have creative and pretty designs.
 * 2) Satuski and Mei show their relationship with each other well throughout the film and with the Totoros. They also have an amazing dynamic, which is best shown when Mei goes missing and Satsuki's instincts as the former's older sister kick in (and big time at it). She runs herself absolutely ragged desperately trying and struggling to find her, and finally seeks out Totoro's help when she is starting to lose hope.
 * 3) Awesome music by the talented Joe Hisaishi as with most Studio Ghibli films. Which includes tracks like A Lost Child, Mother, The Village in May, I'm So Glad, Moonlight Flight, A Soaking Wet Monster, Path of the Wind and more. If you're interested in checking out the full soundtrack, it can be found here.
 * 4) It's not just for kids in spite of the fluffy and cute plot (at first glance). As it also appeals to adults too due to its nostalgia and themes, which keeps the film from being nothing more than pure sugar-coated fluff that doesn't even bother to challenge it's audience. This is another common theme in Studio Ghibli films, as more often than not, they have very mature stories (especially for films aimed primarily at a young audience) and hidden themes of realism woven naturally and gracefully into the fantasy setting.
 * 5) The voice acting shows good emotion, no matter what dub or version it is.
 * 6) Emotional moments like Satsuki (who was established throughout the entirety of the film to be the clamer, more level-headed one as opposed to her sister's more energetic and reckless attitude) breaks down sobbing and asking what she'll do if her mother dies (as well as the scene when she realizes Mei had gone missing) and Mei sitting, exhausted, crying, and all alone, by the Jizu statues with the ear of corn in her hand  clear that she's been crying (only for her to suddenly hear her sister's voice, resulting in her screaming/wailing in and absolutely heart-wrenching voice "Satsuki! Where are you?!")
 * 7) It mainly focuses on singular scenes with no dialogue and just music (like the Bus Stop scene).
 * 8) * Speaking of the lack of dialogue for a majority of the film's runtime, the film also lacks many of the things that generally make a good ids film, like jokes, three acts, or life lessons. But this only adds to the film's own style of art, given how most of it's magic comes from it's visuals, the characters, and the events that occur between said characters and they're interactions together.
 * 9) Even though the titular character doesn’t appear that much, he still managed to make an impact, such as becoming Studio Ghibli’s mascot and appearing in Toy Story 3 as a stuffed toy.
 * 10) One thing that makes the movie shine brightly is that there is no antagonist in the movie. There's no bad guy, and it's well-executed thanks to a genius like Miyazaki.
 * 11) With its US theatrical and later home media release in 1993, it was one of the first attempts to introduce Studio Ghibli to a North American audience. And needless to say, it worked.

The Only Bad Qualities

 * 1) The Streamline Pictures dub isn’t as polished as the later Disney dub. Lisa Michelson makes Satsuki sound way older than a 10-year-old (just like a young woman), and Cheryl Chase gives Mei a very similar sounding "bratty" voice that she would later use for Angelica Pickles in mh:besttvshows:Rugrats. The music is also sometimes drowned out by the dialogue.
 * 2) The slow tone, combined with the major absence of a major plot for a majority of the runtime, can make the film come off as boring at times.

Reception
My Neighbor Totoro received widespread acclaim from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 94% of critics gave positive reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10 based on 48 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, “My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average rating of 86 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". It is listed as a "must-see" by Metacritic.