Customer Review(s)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: a wonderful first movie
Comment: For any parent who is concerned about the content of the movies and TV they allow their young children to watch, this movie is terrific. In addition to being gorgeously animated, it also replaces what is so objectionable about so many videos for young children with the following:
- family members who clearly really love each other, including sisters who occasionally bicker but without malice or bitterness
- sensitive handling of a sick and possibly dying mother -- older children will "get it", younger children won't even notice this scary plot point and can enjoy the rest of the movie
- scenes that are thrilling (a ride through the sky!) or tense (phone call from the hospital) without ever being scary
- absolutely NO sexualization of children (unlike Disney films and all their small waisted big boobed heroines)
- no bad guys
- not sappy sweet or mind numbing to parents like Barney or The Wiggles
I don't care about the dubbing issues or Disney v. Fox...all three of my children (now long outgrown this movie) LOVED this, and I think I've seen it 500 times.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: this is a review for the FULLSCREEN version
Comment: It looks like fullscreen/widescreen (disney) versions of this movie are on the same page. Neither has Japanese subtitles - both are dubbed. I caught the older, non-Disney one which is pan and scan, and found the dubbing adequate. (Some users here seem pretty unhappy about the Disney one, which I cannot comment on.) My boyfriend threatened to walk away if he was forced to watch a pan-and-scan version (if you are going to rent it, since it doesn't seem to be for sale anymore), but he did watch it and seemed to enjoy the movie anyway with no significant or obvious disadvantages.
The movie itself is great for people of all ages, but if you are thinking of showing it to a child, it helps to know if your child likes watching slightly more introspective, atmospheric movies that _don't_ crack a joke-a-minute with famous names and product tie-ins. Some kids might find this boring, but I'm sure loners and kids with bright imaginations will take to it and see the possibilities for their own creativity and wonder.
basic, basic plot: two sisters (one is about 11, the other 5) move with their father to the Japanese countryside in the 1950s to be nearer their hospitalized mother. The nearby forest contains "totoros," who are super adorable fluffy cat-owl creatures that protect the forest.
I found the animation beautiful and the pacing very refreshing from what North American animation has offered in the past decade. The totoros are winsome and an antidote to the you-know-who aggressively "cute" (but actually just irritating) sidekicks and characters that are created to sell more toys. Totoro is silent, mysterious, charming and can sell me plenty of toys just by being himself. It's a very relaxing and highly recommended experience.
