Customer Rating: 
Summary: "Totoro TO-toro, la la la la..."
Comment: I just loved this movie - and I'm an adult. It really is a very cute touching film, even if it is a bit slow. I personally found it to be very entertaining, and I'd recommend it as a family film.
Miyazaki has done a great job of making the sisters seem believable as real children and also likeable - they're not too sweet/cute, but not too bratty. I also loved how elements of reality and fantasy were nicely interwoven - such that the appearance of the Totoro(s) felt believable, yet still cute(and who doesn't want to give the big Totoro a good squeeze?). The film also suceeds in presenting everything from the perspective of the children. Why don't we know exactly what's wrong with their mom? Because they don't exactly know. The information given is what the children perceive, thus we see the world through their eyes.
I also ejoyed thier portrayal of the father. He seems to be a very patient, loving father who actually spends some time with his children despite having to work alot. It's very refreshing to see a film portrayal of the loving sensitive father (we could use more of that). For this reason I think the film has a very positive portrayal of family, thus making it a good family film (there's also a nice lack of violence and swearing, for those with small children). My only complaint is that there should have been more bonus features, like a making-of and maybe some interviews with people who actually made the film. However, this is a fault of the dvd release, not the film itself.
Overall, this is an excellent whimsical fantasy tale as well as a good coming of age tale. I highly recommend it both for children and adults.
P.S. I can't stop humming that catchy ending song. "Totoro, Totoro..."
