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{{Short description|1988 film by Hayao Miyazaki}}
{{For|the play|My Neighbour Totoro (play){{!}}''My Neighbour Totoro'' (play)}}
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{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
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{{Infobox film
| image          = My Neighbor Totoro - Tonari no Totoro (Movie Poster).jpg
| alt            = An early version of Satsuki is near a bus stop on a rainy day holding her umbrella. Standing next to her is Totoro. Text above them reveals the film's title and below them is the film's credits.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| native_name      = {{Infobox Japanese
| kana          = となりのトトロ
| revhep         = Tonari no Totoro
}}
| director       = [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
| writer         = Hayao Miyazaki
| producer       = Toru Hara
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Chika Sakamoto]]|[[Noriko Hidaka]]|[[Hitoshi Takagi]]}}
| cinematography = Hisao Shirai
| editing        = [[Takeshi Seyama]]
| music          = [[Joe Hisaishi]]
| studio         = [[Studio Ghibli]]
| distributor    = [[Toho]]
| released       = {{Film date|1988|4|16}}<!-- Do not add US release dates here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE. -->
| runtime        = 86 minutes
| country        = Japan
| language       = Japanese
| budget         = 
| gross          = {{US$|41 million|long=no}}
}}

{{nihongo|'''''My Neighbor Totoro'''''|となりのトトロ|Tonari no Totoro|lead=yes}} is a 1988 [[Anime|Japanese animated]] [[fantasy film]] written and directed by [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and animated by [[Studio Ghibli]] for [[Tokuma Shoten]]. It stars the voices of [[Noriko Hidaka]], [[Chika Sakamoto]] and [[Hitoshi Takagi]], and focuses on two young sisters and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in [[Postwar Japan|postwar rural Japan]].

The film explores themes such as [[animism]], [[Shinto]] symbology, [[environmentalism]] and the joys of rural living. ''My Neighbor Totoro'' received worldwide critical acclaim, and has grossed over {{US$|41 million|long=no}} worldwide at the box office as of September 2019; the film also grossed significantly more from [[home video]] sales and [[Merchandising|merchandise]].

''My Neighbor Totoro'' received numerous awards, including the [[Animage]] Anime Grand Prix prize, the [[Mainichi Film Award]], and [[Kinema Junpo Awards|Kinema Junpo Award]] for Best Film in 1988. It also received the Special Award at the [[Blue Ribbon Awards]] in the same year. The film is considered as one of the top animation films, ranking 41st in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010 and the number-one animated film on the 2012 ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' critics' poll of [[The Sight & Sound Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|all-time greatest films]].<ref name="sight-sound"/><ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema – 41. My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=41 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924050809/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=41 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=November 8, 2015 |work=Empire}}</ref> The film and its titular character have become cultural icons, and made multiple cameo appearances in other films. Totoro also serves as the mascot for Studio Ghibli and is recognized as one of the most popular characters in Japanese animation.

== Plot ==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. Please check the word count before making any additions. Please discuss any major changes on the talk page. -->In 1950s Japan, university professor Tatsuo Kusakabe and his daughters Satsuki and Mei (approximately ten and four years old, respectively) move into an old house close to the hospital where the girls' mother, Yasuko, is recovering from a long-term illness. The house is inhabited by small, dark, dust-like [[house spirits]] called ''[[susuwatari]]'', that can be seen when moving from bright places to dark ones.<ref group=note>The spirits are called "black soots" in early subtitles and "soot sprites" in the later English-dubbed versions.</ref> The ''susuwatari'' leave to find another empty house. Mei discovers two small spirits that lead her into the hollow of a large [[Cinnamomum camphora|camphor tree]]. She befriends a larger spirit, which identifies itself using a series of roars that she interprets as "Totoro". Mei thinks Totoro is the troll from her illustrated book ''[[Three Billy Goats Gruff]]''. She falls asleep atop Totoro but when Satsuki finds her, she is on the ground. Despite many attempts, Mei cannot show her family Totoro's tree. Tatsuo comforts her, saying Totoro will reveal himself when he wants to.

{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            =Expo 2005 of Satsuki and Mei’s House 01.jpg
| caption1          = {{ill|Satsuki and Mei's house|ja|サツキとメイの家}} at the [[Expo 2005]] site
| image2            = Satsuki and Mei's House 01.JPG
| caption2          = Closeup view of Satsuki and Mei's house
| direction         = vertical
}}

The girls wait for Tatsuo's bus, which is late. Mei falls asleep on Satsuki's back and Totoro appears beside them, allowing Satsuki to see him for the first time. Totoro has only a leaf on his head for protection against the rain, prompting Satsuki to offer her umbrella to him. Delighted, he gives her a bundle of nuts and seeds in return. A [[Catbus|giant, bus-shaped cat]] arrives; Totoro boards it and leaves. A few days after planting the seeds, the girls awaken at midnight to find Totoro and his fellow spirits engaged in a [[ceremonial dance]] around the planted seeds. They join in, causing the seeds to grow into an enormous tree. Totoro takes the girls for a ride on a magical flying [[Spinning top|top]]. In the morning, the tree is gone but the seeds have sprouted.

The girls discover that a planned visit by their mother has been postponed because of a setback in her treatment. Mei is upset and argues with Satsuki. She leaves for the hospital to take fresh corn to their mother, but gets lost on the way. Mei's disappearance prompts Satsuki and the neighbors to search for her, thinking that Mei has died. In desperation, Satsuki pleads for Totoro's help. Totoro summons the Catbus, which carries Satsuki to Mei's location, and the sisters reunite. The bus then takes them to the hospital, where the girls learn that their mother has been kept in the hospital by a minor cold but is otherwise recovering well. The girls secretly leave the ear of corn on the windowsill, where their parents discover it.

Eventually, their mother returns home and the girls play with other children while Totoro and his friends watch from afar.

== Themes ==
{{Expand section |date=September 2023}}

[[Animism]] is a major theme in ''My Neighbor Totoro'', according to Eriko Ogihara-Schuck.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Ogihara-Schuck|first=Eriko|title=Miyazaki's Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences|publisher=McFarland|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4766-1395-6|location=Jefferson, NC|pages=81–83}}</ref> Totoro has animistic traits and has {{lang|ja-latn|[[kami]]}} status because he lives in a camphor tree in a [[Shinto]] shrine surrounded by a [[Shinto rope]], and he is referred to as {{lang|ja-latn|mori no nushi}} (master of the forest).<ref name=":1" /> Ogihara-Schuck writes that when Mei returns from her encounter with Totoro, her father takes Mei and her sister to the shrine to greet and thank Totoro. This is a common practice in the Shinto tradition following an encounter with a {{lang|ja-latn|kami}}.<ref name=":1" /> According to Phillip E. Wegner, the film is an example of [[alternative history]], citing the [[Utopia|utopian-like setting]] of the anime.<ref>{{cite web |author=Phillip E. Wegner |date=March 14, 2010 |title=An Unfinished Project that was Also a Missed Opportunity: Utopia and Alternate History in Hayao Miyazakis My Neighbor Totoro |url=http://imagetext.english.ufl.edu/archives/v5_2/wegner/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729033800/http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v5_2/wegner/ |archive-date=July 29, 2012 |access-date=August 13, 2012 |publisher=English.ufl.edu}}</ref>

== Voice cast ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Character name
! rowspan="2" | Japanese voice actor<ref name="art" />{{rp|175}}
! colspan="2" | English voice actor
|-
!<small>([[Tokuma Shoten|Tokuma]]/[[Streamline Pictures|Streamline]]/[[20th Century Home Entertainment|Fox]]/[[Troma Entertainment|50th Street Films]], 1989/1993)<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/My-Neighbor-Totoro/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324083419/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/My-Neighbor-Totoro/ |archive-date=March 24, 2023 |access-date=24 March 2023 |website=Behind the Voice Actors}}</ref></small>
!<small>([[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment|Walt Disney Home Entertainment]], 2005)</small><ref name=":6" />
|-
| {{nihongo|Satsuki Kusakabe|草壁 サツキ}} (10-year-old daughter) || [[Noriko Hidaka]]|| [[Lisa Michelson]] || [[Dakota Fanning]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Mei Kusakabe|草壁 メイ}} (4-year-old daughter) || [[Chika Sakamoto]] || [[Cheryl Chase (actress)|Cheryl Chase]] || [[Elle Fanning]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Tatsuo Kusakabe|草壁 タツオ}} (father) || [[Shigesato Itoi]] || [[Gregory Snegoff|Greg Snegoff]] || [[Tim Daly]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Yasuko Kusakabe|草壁 靖子}} (mother) || [[Sumi Shimamoto]] || [[Alexandra Kenworthy]] || [[Lea Salonga]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Totoro|トトロ}} || [[Hitoshi Takagi]] || {{N/A}} || rowspan="2" | [[Frank Welker]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Catbus|ネコバス|''Nekobasu''}} || [[Naoki Tatsuta]] || [[Carl Macek]] (uncredited) 
|-
| {{nihongo|Kanta Ōgaki|大垣 勘太}} (a local boy) || Toshiyuki Amagasa|| Kenneth Hartman|| [[Paul Butcher (actor)|Paul Butcher]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Granny|祖母}} (Nanny in the 1993 dub) || [[Tanie Kitabayashi]] || Natalie Core|| [[Pat Carroll]]
|-
| {{nihongo|Michiko|ミチ子}} || [[Chie Kōjiro]] || [[Brianne Siddall]] (uncredited) || Ashley Rose Orr
|-
| Mrs. Ogaki (Kanta's mother) || [[Hiroko Maruyama]] || Melanie MacQueen|| [[Kath Soucie]]
|-
| Mr. Ogaki (Kanta's father) || [[Masashi Hirose]] ||rowspan="2"| [[Steve Kramer (actor)|Steve Kramer]] || David Midthunder
|-
| Old Farmer || {{N/A}} || [[Peter Renaday]]
|-
| Miss Hara (Satsuki's teacher) || [[Machiko Washio]] ||rowspan="2"| [[Edie Mirman]] (uncredited) || [[Tress MacNeille]] (uncredited)
|-
| Kanta's Aunt || [[Reiko Suzuki]] || [[Russi Taylor]]
|-
| Otoko || [[Daiki Nakamura (actor)|Daiki Nakamura]] || [[Kerrigan Mahan]] (uncredited) || [[Matt Adler]]
|-
| Ryōko || [[Yūko Mizutani]] ||rowspan="2"| Lara Cody || [[Bridget Hoffman]]
|-
| Bus Attendant || {{N/A}} || [[Kath Soucie]]
|-
| Mailman || [[Tomomichi Nishimura]] || [[Doug Stone (voice actor)|Doug Stone]] (uncredited) || [[Robert Clotworthy]]
|-
| Moving Man || [[Shigeru Chiba]] || [[Gregory Snegoff|Greg Snegoff]] || Newell Alexander
|}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
After working on ''3000 Miles in Search of a Mother'', [[Hayao Miyazaki|Miyazaki]] wanted to make a "delightful, wonderful film" that would be set in Japan with the idea to "entertain and touch its viewers, but stay with them long after they have left the theaters".<ref name="art" /> Initially, Miyazaki had the main characters Totoro, Mei, Tatsuo, and Kanta.<ref name="art" />{{rp|8}} The director based Mei on his niece,<ref name="Niece">{{cite news |date=October 18, 2011 |title=Toy Story 3 Art Director Married to Hayao Miyazaki's Niece – Interest |work=Anime News Network |url=https://animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-10-18/toy-story-3-art-director-married-to-hayao-miyazaki-niece |url-status=live |access-date=August 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122083202/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2011-10-18/toy-story-3-art-director-married-to-hayao-miyazaki-niece |archive-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref> and Totoros as "serene, carefree creatures" that were "supposedly the forest keeper, but that's only a half-baked idea, a rough approximation".<ref name="art" />{{rp|5, 103}}

Art director [[Kazuo Oga]] was drawn to the film when Hayao Miyazaki showed him an original image of Totoro standing in a ''[[satoyama]]''. Miyazaki challenged Oga to raise his standards, and Oga's experience with ''My Neighbor Totoro'' began Oga's career. Oga and Miyazaki debated the film's color palette; Oga wanted to paint black soil from [[Akita Prefecture]] and Miyazaki preferred the color of red soil from [[Kantō region]].<ref name="art" />{{rp|82}} The finished film was described by [[Studio Ghibli]] producer Toshio Suzuki; "It was nature painted with translucent colors".<ref>{{cite news | first=Yoshiaki | last=Kikuchi | title=Totoro's set decorator | work=Daily Yomiuri | date=August 4, 2007 }}</ref>

Oga's conscientious approach to ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was a style the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' recognized as "[updating] the traditional Japanese animist sense of a natural world that is fully, spiritually alive". The newspaper said of the film:
{{blockquote|Set in a period that is both modern and nostalgic, the film creates a fantastic, yet strangely believable universe of supernatural creatures coexisting with modernity. A great part of this sense comes from Oga's evocative backgrounds, which give each tree, hedge and twist in the road an indefinable feeling of warmth that seems ready to spring into sentient life.<ref name=paper />}}

Oga's work on ''My Neighbor Totoro'' led to his continued involvement with Studio Ghibli, which assigned him jobs that would play to his strengths, and Oga's style became a trademark style of Studio Ghibli.<ref name=paper>{{cite news | title=When Studio Ghibli is mentioned, usually the name of its co-founder and chief director Hayao Miyazaki springs to mind. But anyone with an awareness of the labor-intensive animation process knows that such masterpieces as ''Tonari no Totoro''... | work=International Herald Tribune-Asahi Shimbun | date=August 24, 2007 }}</ref>

Only one young girl, rather than two sisters, is depicted in several of Miyazaki's initial conceptual watercolor paintings, as well as on the theatrical release poster and on later home-video releases. According to Miyazaki; "If she was a little girl who plays around in the yard, she wouldn't be meeting her father at a bus stop, so we had to come up with two girls instead. And that was difficult."<ref name="art" />{{rp|11}} Miyazaki said the film's opening sequence was not storyboarded; "The sequence was determined through permutations and combinations determined by the [[Exposure sheet|time sheets]]. Each element was made individually and combined in the time sheets&nbsp;..."<ref name="art">{{cite book |last=Watsuki |first=Nobuhiro |title=The Art of My Neighbor Totoro: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki |publisher=VIZ Media LLC |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-59116-698-6 }}</ref>{{rp|27}} The ending sequence depicts the mother's return home and the signs of her return to good health by playing with Satsuki and Mei outside.<ref name=art />{{rp|149}}

Miyazaki stated that the story was initially intended to be set in 1955, however, the team was not thorough in the research and instead worked on a setting "in the recent past".<ref name=art />{{rp|33}} The film was originally set to be an hour long but during production it grew to respond to the social context, including the reason for the move and the father's occupation.<ref name="art" />{{rp|54}} Eight animators worked on the film, which was completed in eight months.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Studio Ghibli co-founder teases Hayao Miyazaki's next 'big, fantastical' film|url=https://ew.com/movies/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-how-do-you-live|access-date=May 13, 2020|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=May 15, 2020|archive-date=May 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515021325/https://ew.com/movies/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-how-do-you-live/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Tetsuya Endo (director)|Tetsuya Endo]] noted numerous animation techniques were used in the film. For example, ripples were designed with "two colors of high-lighting and shading" and the rain for ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was "scratched in the cels" and superimposed for it to convey a soft feel.<ref name="art" />{{rp|156}} The animators stated one month was taken to create the tadpoles, which included four colors; the water for it was also blurred.<ref name="art" />{{rp|154}}

=== Music ===
The music for ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was composed by [[Joe Hisaishi]], who previously collaborated with Miyazaki on the movies ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' and ''[[Castle in the Sky]]''. Hisaishi was inspired by the contemporary composers [[Terry Riley]], [[Philip Glass]], [[Steve Reich]], [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]], and [[John Cage]], and described Miyazaki's films as "rich and personally compeling". He hired an orchestra for the soundtrack and primarily used a [[Fairlight CMI|Fairlight]] instrument.<ref name="art" />{{rp|169, 170}}

The soundtrack for ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was first released in Japan on May 1, 1988, by [[Tokuma Shoten]], and includes the musical score used in the film, except for five vocal pieces that were performed by [[Azumi Inoue]], including "Stroll", "A Lost Child", and "My Neighbor Totoro".<ref>{{cite web |title=Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) Soundtracks |url=https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/TKCA-72725 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103192859/http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=TKCA-72725 |archive-date=January 3, 2009 |access-date=September 30, 2008 |work=CD Japan |publisher=Neowing}}</ref> It had previously been released as an [[Image song|Image Song]] CD in 1987 that contains some songs that were not included in the film.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/joe-hisaishis-soundtrack-for-my-neighbor-totoro-9781501345128/ |title=Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro |date=February 6, 2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-5013-4512-8 |access-date=August 27, 2020 |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101071900/https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/joe-hisaishis-soundtrack-for-my-neighbor-totoro-9781501345128/ |url-status=live }}</ref>   {{listen
| pos          = right
| filename     = The Huge Tree in the Tsukamori Forest - My Neighbor Totoro, from the OST.ogg
| title        = "The Huge Tree in the Tsukamori Forest"
| format       = [[Ogg]]
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = My Neighbor Totoro (Original Soundtrack) <ref>{{Citation |title=My Neighbor Totoro (Original Soundtrack) by Joe Hisaishi |date=1988-05-01 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-neighbor-totoro-original-soundtrack/882410520 |language=en-US |access-date=2022-03-04 |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304045317/https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-neighbor-totoro-original-soundtrack/882410520 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| title17 = Cat Bus
| title12 = A Lost Child
| length12 = 3:48
| title13 = The Path of the Wind
| length13 = 3:16
| title14 = A Soaking Wet Monster
| length14 = 2:33
| title15 = Moonlight Flight
| length15 = 2:05
| length16 = 2:32
| length11 = 2:15
| length17 = 2:11
| title18 = I'm So Glad
| length18 = 1:15
| title19 = My Neighbor Totoro- Ending Song
| length19 = 4:17
| title20 = Hey Let's Go
| length20 = 2:43
| title16 = Mei is Missing
| title11 = The Huge Tree in the Tsukamori Forest
| length10 = 2:49
| extra_column = 
| title5 = Evening Wind
| title1 = Hey Let's Go
| length1 = 2:43
| title2 = The Village in May
| length2 = 1:38
| title3 = A Haunted House
| length3 = 1:23
| title4 = Mei and the Dust Bunnies
| length4 = 1:34
| length5 = 1:01
| title10 = Totoro
| title6 = Not Afraid
| length6 = 0:43
| title7 = Let's Go to the Hospital
| length7 = 1:22
| title8 = Mother
| length8 = 1:06
| title9 = A Little Monster
| length9 = 3:54
| total_length = 45:18
}}

== Release ==
After writing and filming ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' (1984) and ''[[Castle in the Sky]]'' (1986), Hayao Miyazaki began directing ''My Neighbor Totoro'' for Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki's production paralleled his colleague [[Isao Takahata]]'s production of ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]''. Miyazaki's film was financed by executive producer Yasuyoshi Tokuma, and both ''My Neighbor Totoro'' and ''Grave of the Fireflies'' were released on the same bill in 1988. The dual billing was considered "one of the most moving and remarkable double bills ever offered to a cinema audience".<ref name="mccarthy">{{cite book | first=Helen | last=McCarthy | title=Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation | publisher=Stone Bridge Press | year=1999 | isbn=978-1-880656-41-9 | pages=43,120–121 }}</ref>

=== Box office ===
In Japan, ''My Neighbor Totoro'' initially sold 801,680 tickets and earned a [[Theatrical rental|distribution rental]] income of {{JPY|588 million|link=yes}} in 1988. According to the animation scholar [[Seiji Kano]], by 2005, the film's box-office gross receipts in Japan totalled {{JPY|1.17 billion}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Kanō |first=Seiji |author-link=Seiji Kanō |title=宮崎駿全書 (Complete Miyazaki Hayao) |date=March 1, 2006 |publisher=フィルムアート社 (Film Art Company) |isbn=978-4-8459-0687-1 |page=124 |edition=Shohan}}</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:1170/110.22 round 1}} million|long=no|link=yes}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=2005&locations=JP&start=2004 |website=[[World Bank]] |year=2005 |access-date=19 June 2020 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131205010/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=2005&locations=JP&start=2004 |url-status=live }}</ref> In France, the film has sold 429,822 tickets since 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tonari no Totoro (1999) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=2815 |website=JP's Box Office |language=fr |access-date=12 April 2022 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412154116/http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=2815 |url-status=live }}</ref> The film has been internationally released several times since 2002.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |title=Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) (2002) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3246084613/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=February 10, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026212314/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fTONARINOTOTORO(R01 |url-status=live }}</ref> The film has grossed $30,476,708 worldwide since 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0096283/|title=My Neighbor Totoro|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=December 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226171512/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0096283/|url-status=live}}</ref> A ''[[South China Morning Post]]'' article in 2021 reported that the film has grossed more than $41 million in total.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-14 |title=How did the beloved Studio Ghibli begin to dominate the animation business? |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3125121/story-studio-ghibli-and-hayao-miyazaki-beautiful-art-and |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012144819/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3125121/story-studio-ghibli-and-hayao-miyazaki-beautiful-art-and |url-status=live }}</ref>

Thirty years after its original release in Japan, ''My Neighbor Totoro'' received a Chinese theatrical release in December 2018. The delay was due to long-standing political tensions between China and Japan but many Chinese people had become familiar with Miyazaki's films due to rampant video piracy.<ref>{{cite news |title=These five Studio Ghibli films really should be released in China |url=https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2178326/five-studio-ghibli-films-due-china-release-after-my-neighbour-totoro |access-date=June 15, 2019 |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625224802/https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2178326/five-studio-ghibli-films-due-china-release-after-my-neighbour-totoro |url-status=live }}</ref> In its opening weekend, ending December 16, 2018, ''My Neighbor Totoro'' grossed {{US$|13 million|long=no}}, entering the box-office charts at number two behind Hollywood film ''[[Aquaman (film)|Aquaman]]'' and ahead of [[Bollywood]] film ''[[Padman (film)|Padman]]'' at number three.<ref>{{cite news |title=China's No. 2 Film This Weekend Was Hayao Miyazaki's 'My Neighbor Totoro' |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/china-box-office-tortoro-triumphant-aquaman-defies-newcomers-1203091067/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 17, 2018 |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219195744/https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/china-box-office-tortoro-triumphant-aquaman-defies-newcomers-1203091067/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By its second weekend, ''My Neighbor Totoro'' had grossed {{US$|20 million|long=no}} in China.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Becky |title=China Box Office: 'Spider-Verse' Shoots to Opening Weekend Victory |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/china-box-office-spiderman-spiderverse-aquaman-1203095438/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 24, 2018 |access-date=December 24, 2018 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219231343/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/china-box-office-spiderman-spiderverse-aquaman-1203095438/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of February 2019, it had grossed $25,798,550 in China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0096283/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |archive-date=December 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226171512/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0096283/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== English dubs ===
In 1989, US-based company [[Streamline Pictures]] produced an exclusive English language [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|dub]] of ''My Neighbor Totoro'' for use as an in-flight movie on [[Japan Airlines]] flights.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-04 |title=A Tale Of Two Totoro |url=https://kotaku.com/a-tale-of-two-totoro-1795625161 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=[[Kotaku]] |language=en |archive-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606234354/https://kotaku.com/a-tale-of-two-totoro-1795625161 |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 1993, [[Troma Entertainment|Troma Films]], under its label 50th St. Films, distributed the dub of the film as a theatrical release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Non |first=Sergio |date=2005-01-25 |title=My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/25/my-neighbor-totoro |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516032401/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/25/my-neighbor-totoro |url-status=live }}</ref> The songs for the Streamline version of ''My Neighbor Totoro'' were sung by Cassie Byram.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From "Mere" to "Interesting" {{!}} Official: Cassie Byram {{!}} The Official Website for Cassie Byram |url=http://cassiebyram.com/from-mere-to-interesting/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=Official: Cassie Byram |date=April 23, 2014 |language=en-US |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429141832/http://cassiebyram.com/from-mere-to-interesting/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2004, [[Walt Disney Pictures]] produced a new English dub of ''My Neighbor Totoro'' to be released after the rights to the Streamline dub had expired. As is the case with Disney's other English dubs of Miyazaki films, the Disney version of ''My Neighbor Totoro'' has a star-heavy cast, including [[Dakota Fanning|Dakota]] and [[Elle Fanning]] as Satsuki and Mei, [[Timothy Daly]] as Mr. Kusakabe, [[Pat Carroll (actress)|Pat Carroll]] as Granny, [[Lea Salonga]] as Mrs. Kusakabe, and [[Frank Welker]] as Totoro and Catbus. The songs for the new dub retain the translation as the earlier dub but are sung by [[Sonya Isaacs]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-06 |title=My Neighbor Totoro {{!}} Disney Movies |url=http://movies.disney.com/my-neighbor-totoro  |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=Disney |archive-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206133629/http://movies.disney.com/my-neighbor-totoro }}</ref> The Disney dub was directed by Rick Dempsey, a Disney executive in charge of the company's dubbing services,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2005-10-26 |title='My Neighbor Totoro' debuts in English at U.S. film fest |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/10/26/national/my-neighbor-totoro-debuts-in-english-at-u-s-film-fest/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=The Japan Times |language=en-US |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326212724/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/10/26/national/my-neighbor-totoro-debuts-in-english-at-u-s-film-fest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and was written by Don and Cindy Hewitt, who had written other dubs for Studio Ghibli.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Adachi |first=Reito |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jAUWpUrtW8cC&dq=Don+and+Cindy+Hewitt+my+neighbour+totoro&pg=PA179 |title=A Study of Japanese Animation as Translation: A Descriptive Analysis of Hayao Miyazaki and Other Anime Dubbed Into English |date=2012 |publisher=Universal-Publishers |isbn=978-1-61233-948-1 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409170345/https://books.google.com/books?id=jAUWpUrtW8cC&dq=Don+and+Cindy+Hewitt+my+neighbour+totoro&pg=PA179 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Disney's English-language dub premiered on October 23, 2005; it was screened at the 2005 Hollywood Film Festival.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro Premiere Screening |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-10-12/my-neighbor-totoro-premiere-screening |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Anime News Network |language=en |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327011633/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-10-12/my-neighbor-totoro-premiere-screening |url-status=live }}</ref> The cable television network [[Turner Classic Movies]] (TCM) held the television premiere of Disney's new English dub in January 2006, as part of the network's tribute to Hayao Miyazaki. TCM aired the dub and the original Japanese film with English subtitles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turner Movie Classics to Air Nine Miyazaki Films |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/7714/turner-movie-classics-air-nine-miyazaki-films |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=icv2.com |language=en |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327114822/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/7714/turner-movie-classics-air-nine-miyazaki-films |url-status=live }}</ref> The Disney version was released on [[DVD]] in the United States on March 7, 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilford |first=Lauren |title="Towards a True Children's Cinema: On 'My Neighbor Totoro'" |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/features/bright-walldark-room-march-2017-towards-a-true-childrens-cinema-on-my-neighbor-totoro-by-lauren-wilford |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[Rogerebert.com]] |language=en |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226080914/https://www.rogerebert.com/features/bright-walldark-room-march-2017-towards-a-true-childrens-cinema-on-my-neighbor-totoro-by-lauren-wilford |url-status=live }}</ref> In Australia, an English dub was also released by [[Madman Entertainment]] on March 15, 2006.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro - Studio Ghibli Collection |url=https://www.madman.com.au/studioghibli/collection/totoro/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830054740/http://www.madman.com.au/studioghibli/collection/totoro/ |archive-date=August 30, 2014 |access-date=November 9, 2015 |publisher=[[Madman Entertainment]]}}</ref>

In 2023, the film was re-released in 970 United States locations as part of celebrations to mark the 35th anniversary of its first theatrical release,<ref>{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro 35th Anniversary Screenings Earn US$284,122 on Opening Day |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-03-28/my-neighbor-totoro-35th-anniversary-screenings-earn-usd284122-on-opening-day/.196527 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=Anime News Network |language=en |archive-date=June 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607132438/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-03-28/my-neighbor-totoro-35th-anniversary-screenings-earn-usd284122-on-opening-day/.196527 |url-status=live }}</ref> with showings in both Japanese with English subtitles and with the English dub.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barder |first=Ollie |title='My Neighbor Totoro' Is Coming Back To Theaters This March To Celebrate Its 35th Anniversary |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2023/03/20/my-neighbor-totoro-is-coming-back-to-theaters-this-march-to-celebrate-its-35th-anniversary/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602063827/https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2023/03/20/my-neighbor-totoro-is-coming-back-to-theaters-this-march-to-celebrate-its-35th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Comments |first=Jeremy Konrad {{!}} |date=2023-03-16 |title=My Neighbor Totoro Returning To Theaters For Anniversary Screenings |url=https://bleedingcool.com/movies/my-neighbor-totoro-35th-anniversary-gkids-fathom-events/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=[[Bleeding Cool]] |language=en |archive-date=April 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420025719/https://bleedingcool.com/movies/my-neighbor-totoro-35th-anniversary-gkids-fathom-events/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Home media===
[[Tokuma Shoten]] released ''My Neighbor Totoro'' on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]] in August 1988.<ref name=":5b" /> [[Buena Vista Home Entertainment Japan]] (now Walt Disney Japan) reissued the VHS on June 27, 1997, as part of their series ''Ghibli ga Ippai''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Denison |first=Rayna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IKOfCgAAQBAJ&dq=my+neighbour+totoro+Ghibli+ga+Ippai&pg=PA125 |title=Anime: A Critical Introduction |date=2015-10-22 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4725-7676-7 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531170045/https://books.google.com/books?id=IKOfCgAAQBAJ&dq=my+neighbour+totoro+Ghibli+ga+Ippai&pg=PA125 |url-status=live }}</ref> Disney released the film on [[Blu-ray]] in Japan on 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambie |first=Ryan |date=2012-11-09 |title=Looking back at My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-my-neighbor-totoro/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[Den of Geek]] |language=en-US |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226080910/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-my-neighbor-totoro/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the rights to the Streamline dub expired in 2004,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ogihara-Schuck |first=Eriko |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zLHZBAAAQBAJ&dq=my+neighbour+totoro+Turner+Classic+Movies&pg=PA220 |title=Miyazaki's Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences |date=2014-10-16 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-7262-8 |page=102 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501151836/https://books.google.com/books?id=zLHZBAAAQBAJ&dq=my+neighbour+totoro+Turner+Classic+Movies&pg=PA220 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Walt Disney Home Entertainment]] re-released the movie on DVD on March 7, 2006, with Disney's newly produced English dub and the original Japanese version. The company reissued ''My Neighbor Totoro'', as well as ''[[Castle in the Sky]]'', and ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'', with updated cover art highlighting its Studio Ghibli origins, on March 2, 2010, coinciding with the US DVD and Blu-ray debut of ''[[Ponyo]]''. ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was re-released by Disney on Blu-Ray on May 21, 2013. [[GKIDS]] re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on October 17, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/gkids-studio-ghibli-ink-home-entertainment-deal-1021746|title=Gkids, Studio Ghibli Ink Home Entertainment Deal|author=Carolyn Giardina|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 17, 2017|access-date=July 17, 2017|archive-date=July 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170722144250/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/gkids-studio-ghibli-ink-home-entertainment-deal-1021746|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Japan, ''My Neighbor Totoro'' had sold 3.5{{nbsp}}million VHS and DVD units as of April 2012,<ref>{{cite news |title=「となりのトトロ」ついにブルーレイ発売 |url=http://movies.jp.msn.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=986774 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502072542/http://movies.jp.msn.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=986774  |archive-date=May 2, 2012 |work=MSN エンタメ |publisher=[[MSN]] |date=May 2, 2012}}</ref> equivalent to approximately {{JPY|{{#expr:3.5*4600}} million|long=no}} ({{US$|{{To USD|16100|JPN|year=2012|round=yes}} million|long=no}}) at an average retail price of {{JPY|4600}} ({{JPY|4700}} on DVD and {{JPY|4500}} on VHS).<ref>{{cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro: Video List |url=http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/video/totoro/ |website=Nausicaa.net |access-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225145501/http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/video/totoro/ |archive-date=February 25, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the United States, the film sold over 500,000 VHS units by 1996,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Furniss |first1=Maureen |title=Animation: Art and Industry |date=2009 |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |isbn=978-0-86196-904-3 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NBvnBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |language=en |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607023951/https://books.google.com/books?id=NBvnBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |url-status=live }}</ref> with the later 2010 DVD release selling a further 3.8{{nbsp}}million units and grossing {{US$|64.5 million|long=no}} in the United States as of October 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tonari no Totoro (1996) - Video Sales |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tonari-no-Totoro-(Japan)#tab=video-sales |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=December 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217144604/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tonari-no-Totoro-(Japan) |archive-date=December 17, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the UK, the film's Studio Ghibli anniversary release appeared on the annual lists of ten-best-selling [[foreign language film]]s on home video for five consecutive years, ranking number seven in 2015,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2016.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2016 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2016 |location=United Kingdom |page=144 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520120749/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2016.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> number six in 2016<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2017.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2017 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2017 |location=United Kingdom |pages=140–1 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520211817/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2017.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2017,<ref name=":222">{{Cite book |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2018.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2018 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2018 |location=United Kingdom |pages=97–8 |access-date=25 April 2022 |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528130725/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> number one in 2018,<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2019.pdf |title=Statistical Yearbook 2019 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2019 |location=United Kingdom |pages=103–4 |access-date=26 April 2022 |archive-date=April 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426214923/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-statistical-yearbook-2019.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and number two in 2019 below ''[[Spirited Away]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/statistical-yearbook |title=BFI Statistical Yearbook 2020 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] (BFI) |year=2020 |location=United Kingdom |page=94 |access-date=30 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427095000/https://core-cms.bfi.org.uk/media/12815/download |archive-date=27 April 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==
''My Neighbor Totoro'' received widespread acclaim from film critics.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zipes |first1=Jack |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8-PCgAAQBAJ&dq=My+Neighbor+Totoro+acclaim&pg=PT289 |title=Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney: International Perspectives |last2=Greenhill |first2=Pauline |last3=Magnus-Johnston |first3=Kendra |date=2015-09-16 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-62820-9 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414064133/https://books.google.com/books?id=e8-PCgAAQBAJ&dq=My+Neighbor+Totoro+acclaim&pg=PT289 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Merskin |first=Debra L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AbCcDwAAQBAJ&dq=My+Neighbor+Totoro+acclaim&pg=PT258 |title=The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society |date=2019-11-12 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4833-7554-0 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518071529/https://books.google.com/books?id=AbCcDwAAQBAJ&dq=My+Neighbor+Totoro+acclaim&pg=PT258 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|94|8.4|59|''My Neighbor Totoro'' is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.|access-date=}}<ref name="rt">{{cite web | url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/my_neighbor_totoro/ | title=My Neighbor Totoro (1988) | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | access-date=March 11, 2023 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125205509/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_neighbor_totoro/ | archive-date=January 25, 2016 }}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|score=86|count=15}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-neighbor-totoro|title=My Neighbor Totoro Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421203726/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/my-neighbor-totoro|archive-date=April 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001, Japanese magazine ''[[Animage]]'' ranked ''My Neighbor Totoro'' 45th in its list of ''100 Best Anime Productions of All Time''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-15/animage-top-100-anime-listing|title=Animage Top-100 Anime Listing|date=January 15, 2001|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 10, 2013|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415220509/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-15/animage-top-100-anime-listing|url-status=live}}</ref> ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was voted the highest-ranking animated film on ''[[Sight & Sound]]''{{'s}} critics' poll of [[The Sight & Sound Top 50 Greatest Films of All Time|all-time greatest films]], and joint 154th overall.<ref name="sight-sound">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/greatest-animated-films-all-time|title=The greatest animated films of all time?|work=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-date=July 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726203125/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/greatest-animated-films-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, the magazine ranked the film as the joint-72nd-greatest film overall, being one of two animated films included in the list.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Greatest Films of All Time |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=BFI |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318214144/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/greatest-films-all-time |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ugwu |first=Reggie |date=2022-12-01 |title=Chantal Akerman's 'Jeanne Dielman' Named Greatest Film of All Time in Sight and Sound Poll |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/movies/jeanne-dielman-greatest-film-of-all-time-sight-and-sound-poll.html |access-date=2022-12-02 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201201633/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/movies/jeanne-dielman-greatest-film-of-all-time-sight-and-sound-poll.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was ranked third on the list of "Greatest Japanese Animated Films of All Time" by film magazine ''[[Kinema Junpo]]'' in 2009, 41st in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire magazine's]]'' "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010, second on a similar ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' list of best children's films, and number one in the greatest animated films in [[Time Out (magazine)|''Time Out'']]; a similar list by the editors ranked the film in third place.<ref name=":2" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091008102811/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/8866 Time Out's 50 greatest animated films, with added commentary by Terry Gilliam.] Archived from the original October 9, 2009</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kinema Junpo Top 10 Animated Films |url=https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2010/10/kinema-junpo-top-10-animated-films-2010.html?m=1 |website=Nishikata Film Review |access-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521053032/https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2010/10/kinema-junpo-top-10-animated-films-2010.html?m=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 50 best kids' movies |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-kids-movies/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Empire |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303210525/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-kids-movies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] of ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' identified ''My Neighbor Totoro'' as one of his "Great Movies", calling it "one of the lovingly hand-crafted works of Hayao Miyazaki". In his review, Ebert said the film "is based on experience, situation and exploration—not on conflict and threat", and added:<blockquote>
it would never have won its worldwide audience just because of its warm heart. It is also rich with human comedy in the way it observes the two remarkably convincing, lifelike little girls&nbsp;... It is a little sad, a little scary, a little surprising and a little informative, just like life itself. It depends on a situation instead of a plot, and suggests that the wonder of life and the resources of imagination supply all the adventure you need.<ref>{{cite news | first=Roger | last=Ebert | author-link=Roger Ebert | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011223/REVIEWS08/112230301/1023 | title=My Neighbor Totoro (1993) | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=2001-12-23 | access-date=2008-09-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202115931/http://www.rogerebert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20011223%2FREVIEWS08%2F112230301%2F1023 | archive-date=February 2, 2013 }}</ref></blockquote>

Steve Rose from ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film five stars, praising Miyazaki's "rich, bright, hand-drawn" animation and describing it as "full of benign spirituality, prelapsarian innocence and joyous discovery, all rooted in a carefully detailed reality".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-23 |title=My Neighbour Totoro – review |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/23/my-neighbour-totoro-review |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303001111/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/may/23/my-neighbour-totoro-review |url-status=live }}</ref> Trevor Johnston from [[Time Out (magazine)|''Time Out'']] also awarded the film five stars, commenting on its "delicate rendering of the atmosphere" and its first half that "delicately captures both mystery and quietness".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Trevor |title=My Neighbour Totoro |url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/my-neighbour-totoro |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=Time Out Worldwide |date=May 21, 2013 |language=en-GB |archive-date=March 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304012219/https://www.timeout.com/movies/my-neighbour-totoro |url-status=live }}</ref> Japanese filmmaker [[Akira Kurosawa]] cited ''My Neighbor Totoro'' as one of his favorite films.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Lee Thomas-Mason |title=From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira Kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/akira-kurosawa-100-favourite-films-list/ |access-date=10 June 2021 |website=Far Out |date=January 12, 2021 |publisher=Far Out Magazine |archive-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610003407/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/akira-kurosawa-100-favourite-films-list/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Writing for the ''[[Evening Standard|London Evening Standard]]'', Charlotte O'Sullivan praised the charm of the film but said it lacks complexity in comparison with ''[[Spirited Away]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-24 |title=My Neighbour Totoro - film review |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/my-neighbour-totoro-film-review-8630814.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=www.standard.co.uk |language=en |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303001109/https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/my-neighbour-totoro-film-review-8630814.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Jordan Cronk from [[Slant Magazine|''Slant'']] awarded the film three-and-a-half stars but said it is "devoid of much of the fantasia of Miyazaki's more outwardly visionary work".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cronk |first=Jordan |date=2013-05-31 |title=Review: Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro on Disney Blu-ray |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/my-neighbor-totoro/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Slant Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303001859/https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/my-neighbor-totoro/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1996 movie guide ''"Seen That, Now What?"'', ''My Neighbor Totoro'' was given the rating of "A". The guide stated that the film is an "enchanting, lushly animated view of the natural world with child's sense of wonder", and noting its suitability for young children while being "a perennial favorite among [film buffs]".<ref>{{cite book|last= Shaw|first= Andrea|date= 1996|title= Seen That, Now What?: The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Video You Really Want to Watch|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgVStU_SWRcC|publisher= Simon and Schuster|page= 48|isbn= 978-0-684-80011-0|access-date= February 10, 2024|archive-date= April 8, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230408111213/https://books.google.com/books?id=vgVStU_SWRcC|url-status= live}}</ref>

The 1993 translation was not as well-received as the 2006 translation; Leonard Klady of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote the 1993 translation demonstrates "adequate television technical craft" that is characterized by "muted pastels, homogenized pictorial style and [a] vapid storyline". Klady described the film's environment as "obviously aimed at an international audience" but "evinces a disorienting combination of cultures that produces a nowhere land more confused than fascinating".<ref>{{cite news | first=Leonard | last=Klady | url=https://variety.com/review/VE1117900788.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | title=My Neighbor Totoro | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=May 6, 1993 | access-date=September 30, 2008 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219235755/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117900788.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | archive-date=February 19, 2009 }}</ref> Stephen Holden of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the 1993 translation as "very visually handsome", and said the film is "very charming" when "dispensing enchantment". Despite the highlights, Holden wrote "too much of the film, however, is taken up with stiff, mechanical chitchat".<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=June 14, 1993 |title=Review/Film; Even a Beast Is Sweet as Can Be |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE7DC1430F937A25756C0A965958260  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226131704/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE7DC1430F937A25756C0A965958260 |archive-date=February 26, 2017}}</ref>

Matthew Leyland of ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' reviewed the DVD released in 2006, commenting; "Miyazaki's family fable is remarkably light on tension, conflict and plot twists, yet it beguiles from beginning to end&nbsp;... what sticks with the viewer is the every-kid credibility of the girls' actions as they work, play and settle into their new surroundings". Leyland praised the DVD transfer of the film but noted the disc lacks a look at the film's production, instead being overabundant with storyboards.<ref>{{cite journal | first=Matthew | last=Leyland | title=My Neighbour Totoro |date=June 2006 | journal=[[Sight & Sound]] | volume=16 | issue=6 | page=89 }}</ref> Writing in ''Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro'', Kunio Hara praised the soundtrack, describing the song "My Neighbor Totoro" as a "sonic icon" of the film. Hara also commented the music "arouse[s] a similar sentiment of yearning for the past".<ref name=":5b">{{Cite book |last=Hara |first=Kunio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iz3CDwAAQBAJ |title=Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro |date=2020-02-06 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-5013-4513-5 |language=en |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228005754/https://books.google.com/books?id=iz3CDwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Award
! Category
! Result
|-
|rowspan=6| 1989
| rowspan="6" | ''My Neighbor Totoro''
|rowspan=2| [[Kinema Junpo Awards]]
| [[Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year|Kinema Junpo Award – Best Film]]<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Chua |first=Dennis |date=September 10, 2016 |title=An other-worldly neighbour |url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172214/other-worldly-neighbour |website=[[The New Straits Times]] |access-date=February 10, 2024 |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126185126/https://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/172214/other-worldly-neighbour |url-status=live }}</ref>
| {{won}}
|-
| Readers' Choice Award – Best Japanese Film<ref>{{Cite web |title=映画鑑賞記録サービス KINENOTE｜キネマ旬報社 |url=http://www.kinenote.com/main/award/kinejun/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=www.kinenote.com |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418093507/http://www.kinenote.com/main/award/kinejun/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| {{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Mainichi Film Awards]]
| [[Mainichi Film Award for Best Film|Best Film]]<ref name=":7" />
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Ōfuji Noburō Award]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=毎日映画コンクール |url=http://www.animations-cc.net/festivals/f_mainichi01.html  |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=Manichi Film Awards |language=ja |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140617/http://www.animations-cc.net/festivals/f_mainichi01.html }}</ref>
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Blue Ribbon Awards]]
| Special Award<ref name=":7" />
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Animage]] Anime Awards<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-19 |title=月刊アニメージュ【公式サイト】 |url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1989.html  |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=Animage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019174626/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1989.html |archive-date=October 19, 2010 }}</ref>
| Grand Prix prize<ref name=":7" />
| {{won}}
|}

== Legacy ==
''My Neighbor Totoro'' was considered a milestone for writer-director Hayao Miyazaki. The popularity of the film's central character Totoro among Japanese children has been likened to that of [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] in Britain.<ref name="defining">{{cite news | first=David | last=Pilling | title=Defining Moment: ''My Neighbour Totoro'', 1988, directed by Hayao Miyazaki | work=[[Financial Times]] | date=September 15, 2007 }}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]'' said Totoro is one of the greatest cartoon characters, describing the creature; "At once innocent and awe-inspiring, King Totoro captures the innocence and magic of childhood more than any of Miyazaki's other magical creations".<ref>{{cite news | first=Dee | last=Forbes | title=Analysis Cartoons: Toontown's greatest characters | work=[[The Independent]] | date=November 7, 2005 }}</ref> The ''[[Financial Times]]'' recognized the character's appeal, commenting Totoro "is more genuinely loved than Mickey Mouse could hope to be in his wildest—not nearly so beautifully illustrated—fantasies".<ref name="defining"/> ''Empire'' also commented on Totoro's appeal, ranking him at number 18 on a list of the greatest animated characters of all time.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Best Animated Film Characters - 18. Totoro |url=https://empireonline.com/movies/features/50-greatest-animated-characters/default.asp?character=18 |access-date=August 27, 2016 |work=Empire |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607023957/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/50-greatest-animated-characters-2/?character=18 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The character of Totoro later became a mascot and official logo for Studio Ghibli.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vincent |first=Alice |date=2020-02-20 |title=What on earth is a Totoro? The Japanese folklore behind Studio Ghibli's most magical movies |language=en-GB |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/earth-totoro-japanese-folklore-behind-studio-ghiblis-magical/ |access-date=2023-08-26 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021081935/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/earth-totoro-japanese-folklore-behind-studio-ghiblis-magical/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What Kind of Animal Is Totoro? |url=https://www.sideshow.com/blog/what-kind-of-animal-is-totoro |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=[[Sideshow Collectibles]] |language=en |archive-date=August 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824032146/https://www.sideshow.com/blog/what-kind-of-animal-is-totoro |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jim Hensons Creature Shop creates My Neighbour Totoro puppets |url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/jim-hensons-creature-shop-creates-my-neighbour-totoro-puppets |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=[[Royal Shakespeare Company]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203004103/https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/jim-hensons-creature-shop-creates-my-neighbour-totoro-puppets |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-25 |title=Jim Henson's Creature Shop Creating Life-Sized Totoro for London Play |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-06-28/jim-henson-creature-shop-creating-life-sized-totoro-for-london-play/.187142 |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |language=en |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021173045/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-06-28/jim-henson-creature-shop-creating-life-sized-totoro-for-london-play/.187142 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the environmental journal ''Ambio'', ''My Neighbor Totoro'' "has served as a powerful force to focus the positive feelings that the Japanese people have for {{lang|ja-latn|[[satoyama]]}} and traditional village life". The film's central character Totoro was used as a mascot by the Japanese campaign "Totoro Hometown Fund Campaign", which aimed to preserve areas of {{lang|ja-latn|satoyama}} in [[Saitama Prefecture]].<ref>{{cite journal | first=Hiromi | last=Kobori |author2=Richard B. Primack | title=Participatory Conservation Approaches for Satoyama, the Traditional Forest and Agricultural Landscape of Japan | journal=Ambio | volume=32 | issue=4 |date=June 2003 | pages=307–311 | pmid=12956598 | doi=10.1639/0044-7447(2003)032[0307:pcafst]2.0.co;2}}</ref> The fund, started in 1990 after the film's release, held an auction in August 2008 at Pixar Animation Studios to sell over 210 original paintings, illustrations, and sculptures inspired by ''My Neighbor Totoro''.<ref>{{cite news | first=Carolyn | last=Giardina | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/neighbor-inspires-artists-118209/ | title='Neighbor' inspires artists | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=August 27, 2008 | access-date=September 11, 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725234223/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/neighbor-inspires-artists-118209/ |archivedate=July 25, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Miyazaki additionally uses Totoro as a part of his logo for Studio Ghibli.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=My Neighbor Totoro |url=https://www.tiff.net/films/my-neighbor-totoro/  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605131311/http://www.tiff.net/films/my-neighbor-totoro/ |archive-date=June 5, 2017 |access-date=July 15, 2017 |website=[[Toronto International Film Festival]] |language=en}}</ref> Totoro also makes a cameo appearance in the [[Pixar]] film ''[[Toy Story 3]]'' (2010)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Christopher |title=Pixar Chief Discusses Totoro Cameo In 'Toy Story 3' Trailer |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2596074/pixar-chief-discusses-totoro-cameo-in-toy-story-3-trailer/ |access-date=4 April 2020 |work=[[MTV News]] |publisher=[[MTV]] |date=February 17, 2010 |archive-date=February 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222004327/http://www.mtv.com/news/2596074/pixar-chief-discusses-totoro-cameo-in-toy-story-3-trailer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but was not included in ''[[Toy Story 4]]'' due to licensing problems.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Moviefone|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=1 May 2019|title='Toy Story 4' Director and Producers on Tinny, Totoro and How Time Works in the Franchise|url=https://www.moviefone.com/2019/05/01/toy-story-4-director-and-producers-interview/|url-status=live|website=moviefone|access-date=May 11, 2021|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511005210/https://www.moviefone.com/2019/05/01/toy-story-4-director-and-producers-interview/}}</ref> ''Toy Story 3''{{'s}} art director [[Daisuke Tsutsumi]] is married to Miyazaki's niece, who inspired the character Mei in ''My Neighbor Totoro''.<ref name="Niece"/>

[[Image:Eoperipatus totoro.jpg|thumb|''[[Eoperipatus totoro]]'' – a [[velvet worm]] from Vietnam]]

A [[main-belt asteroid]] that was discovered on December 31, 1994, was named [[10160 Totoro]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=10160+Totoro | title=10160 Totoro (1994 YQ1) | work=Solar System Dynamics | publisher=[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] | access-date=September 30, 2008 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510055624/http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=10160+Totoro | archive-date=May 10, 2011 }}</ref> In 2013, ''[[Eoperipatus totoro]]'', a species of [[Onychophora|velvet worm]] that was discovered in Vietnam, was named after Totoro. Following the request of the paper's authors, the species was named for the character because he "uses a many-legged animal as a vehicle, which according to the collectors resembles a velvet worm".<ref>{{cite journal|title=A new species of Eoperipatus (Onychophora) from Vietnam reveals novel morphological characters for the South-East Asian Peripatidae|journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology|volume=252|issue=4|pages=495–510|author=I D S Oliveira |author2=S Schaffer |author3=P V Kvartalnov |author4=E A Galoyan |author5=I V Palko |author6=A Weck-Heimann |author7=P Geissler |author8=H Ruhberg | doi=10.1016/j.jcz.2013.01.001|year=2013}}</ref>

== Media ==
=== Books ===

In Japan in May 1988, [[Tokuma]] published a four-volume series of ''[[ani-manga]]'' books, which use color images and lines directly from ''My Neighbor Totoro''.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Miyazaki | first=Hayao | author-link=Hayao Miyazaki | date=May 28, 1988 | script-title=ja:フィルムコミック となりのトトロ (1)|trans-title=Film Comic My Neighbour Totoro (1) | url=https://www.tokuma.jp/book/b503786.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113093750/http://www.tokuma.jp/bookinfo/9784197785612 |archive-date=January 13, 2014|url-status=live|language=ja | isbn=978-4-19-778561-2| publisher=Tokuma Shoten |location= Tokyo |access-date= January 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last=Miyazaki | first=Hayao | author-link=Hayao Miyazaki | date=May 28, 1988 | script-title=ja:フィルムコミック となりのトトロ (4)|trans-title=Film Comic My Neighbour Totoro (4) | url=https://www.tokuma.jp/book/b503789.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113094107/http://www.tokuma.jp/bookinfo/9784197785643 |archive-date=January 13, 2014|url-status=live|language=ja | isbn=978-4-19-778564-3| publisher=Tokuma Shoten |location= Tokyo | access-date= January 13, 2014}}</ref> The series was licensed for English-language release in North America by [[Viz Media]], which released the books from November 10, 2004, through February 15, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-1/product/325 |title=My Neighbor Totoro Film Comic, Vol. 1 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511041600/https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-1/product/325 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-2/product/324 |title=My Neighbor Totoro Film Comic, Vol. 2 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511035537/https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-2/product/324 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-3/product/322 |title=My Neighbor Totoro Film Comic, Vol. 3 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=April 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419234955/https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-3/product/322 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-4/product/323 |title=My Neighbor Totoro Film Comic, Vol. 4 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511035250/https://www.viz.com/read/film-comic/my-neighbor-totoro-film-comics-volume-4/product/323 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 111-page picture book based on the film and aimed at young children was released by Tokuma on June 28, 1988, and, in a 112-page English translation, by Viz on November 8, 2005.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Miyazaki | first=Hayao | author-link=Hayao Miyazaki | date=June 28, 1988 | script-title=ja:徳間アニメ絵本４ となりのトトロ|trans-title=Tokuma Anime Picture Book 4 My Neighbour Totoro | url=https://www.tokuma.jp/book/b502890.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113110240/http://www.tokuma.jp/bookinfo/9784197036844 |archive-date=January 13, 2014|url-status=live|language=ja | isbn=978-4-19-703684-4| publisher=Tokuma Shoten |location= Tokyo |access-date= January 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.viz.com/read/picture-book/my-neighbor-totoro-picture-book-new-edition/product/4744| title=My Neighbor Totoro Picture Book| publisher=[[Viz Media]]| access-date=January 24, 2020| archive-date=November 18, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118153412/https://www.viz.com/read/picture-book/my-neighbor-totoro-picture-book-new-edition/product/4744| url-status=live}}</ref> Tokuma later released another 176-page art book containing conceptual art from the film and interviews with production staff on July 15, 1988, and, in English translation, by Viz on November 8, 2005.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Miyazaki | first=Hayao | author-link=Hayao Miyazaki | date=July 15, 1988 | script-title=ja:ジアート となりのトトロ|trans-title=The Art of My Neighbor Totoro | url=https://www.tokuma.jp/book/b503457.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113111151/http://www.tokuma.jp/bookinfo/9784198185800 |archive-date=January 13, 2014|url-status=live|language=ja | isbn=978-4-19-818580-0| publisher=Tokuma Shoten |location= Tokyo |access-date= January 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.viz.com/read/art-book/art-of-my-neighbor-totoro/product/4736 |title=The Art of My Neighbor Totoro |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |access-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814114537/https://www.viz.com/read/art-book/art-of-my-neighbor-totoro/product/4736 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, Viz released a hardcover [[light novel]] that was written by Tsugiko Kubo and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki.<ref>{{cite book|author-last1=Miyazaki|author-first1=Hayao|author-last2=Kubo|author-first2=Tsugiko|others=Illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki|title=My Neighbor Totoro: The Novel|url=https://www.viz.com/read/books/product/my-neighbor-totoro-the-novel/10870|publisher=Viz Media, Imprint: Studio Ghibli Library|date=October 1, 2013|isbn=978-1-4215-6120-2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812134243/https://www.viz.com/read/books/product/my-neighbor-totoro-the-novel/10870|archive-date=August 12, 2017}}</ref>

===Sequel ===
{{nihongo|'''''Mei and the Kittenbus'''''|めいとこねこバス|''Mei to Konekobasu''}} is a thirteen-minute sequel to ''My Neighbor Totoro'' that was written and directed by Miyazaki.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-20/miyazaki-plans-museum-anime-shorts-after-ponyo |title=Miyazaki Plans Museum Anime Shorts After Ponyo |work=[[Anime News Network]] |date=June 20, 2008 |access-date=September 30, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001191955/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-20/miyazaki-plans-museum-anime-shorts-after-ponyo |archive-date=October 1, 2008 }}</ref> [[Chika Sakamoto]], who voiced Mei in ''Totoro'', returned to voice Mei in this short. Hayao Miyazaki voiced Granny Cat (''Neko Baa-chan'') and Totoro. The sequel focuses on the character Mei Kusakabe from the original film and her one-night adventures with Kittenbus, the offspring of Catbus, and other cat-oriented vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Mei and the Kittenbus,' the Cutest Miyazaki Sequel No One Has Ever Seen |url=https://www.awn.com/news/mei-and-kittenbus-cutest-miyazaki-sequel-no-one-has-ever-seen |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[Animation World Network]] |language=en |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226080921/https://www.awn.com/news/mei-and-kittenbus-cutest-miyazaki-sequel-no-one-has-ever-seen |url-status=live }}</ref> The sequel was first released in Japan in 2003 and is regularly shown at Ghibli Museum<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/cinema/| title=三鷹の森 ジブリ美術館 – 映像展示室 土星座| access-date=April 8, 2008| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228124413/http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/welcome/cinema/| archive-date=February 28, 2008}}</ref> but has not been released on home video.

=== Merchandise ===
Licensed ''My Neighbor Totoro'' merchandise of Totoro has been sold in Japan for decades after the film's release. Sales of the film's licensed merchandise in Japan grossed {{JPY|10.97 billion}} in 1999, {{JPY|{{#expr:13.09+14.94+11.11+9.61+7.33}} billion}} during 2003{{ndash}}2007,<ref name="charabiz">{{cite news |title=在日本，地位最高的动漫是哆啦a梦么？ |url=http://www.taojinjubao.com/zhihu/267465.html |website=Taojinjubao |publisher=Character Databank (CharaBiz) |date=January 6, 2018 |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909185415/http://www.taojinjubao.com/zhihu/267465.html |archive-date=September 9, 2018  }}</ref> at least {{JPY|{{#expr:(0.27/100)*1504.9 round 1}} billion}} in 2008,<ref name="charabiz-2008">{{cite book |title=CharaBiz DATA 2009⑧ |date=2009 |publisher=Character Databank, Ltd. |url=https://www.charabiz.com/book_detail.php?tab=news&article_id=2487 |language=ja |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511235952/https://www.charabiz.com/book_detail.php?tab=news&article_id=2487 |url-status=live }}</ref> and {{JPY|{{#expr:6.95+6.26+6.75}} billion}} during 2010{{ndash}}2012.<ref name="charabiz"/>

=== Stage adaptation ===
{{Main|My {{Not a typo|Neighbour}} Totoro (play)}}
In May 2022, the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and composer [[Joe Hisaishi]] announced that a stage adaptation of the film titled ''My Neighbor Totoro'' would run from 8 October 2022 to 21 January 2023 at the [[Barbican Centre]] in London.<ref>{{cite news |title='My Neighbor Totoro' gets London stage play adaptation produced by Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi |url=https://news.yahoo.com/neighbor-totoro-gets-london-stage-201445285.html |access-date=20 May 2022 |work=news.yahoo.com |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520101659/https://news.yahoo.com/neighbor-totoro-gets-london-stage-201445285.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was adapted by British playwright [[Tom Morton-Smith]] and directed by [[Improbable (theatre company)|Improbable]]'s [[Phelim McDermott]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=RSC to adapt My Neighbour Totoro for London stage premiere this autumn {{!}} WhatsOnStage |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/rsc-neighbour-totoro-stage-barbican_56388.html |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=www.whatsonstage.com |date=April 26, 2022 |language=en-GB |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527222225/https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/rsc-neighbour-totoro-stage-barbican_56388.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tickets went on sale on 19 May 2022, breaking the theater's box-office record for sales in one day which was previously held by the 2015 production of ''[[Hamlet]]'' starring [[Benedict Cumberbatch]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wild |first=Stephi |title=World Premiere of MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO Stage Adaptation Breaks Barbican Box Office Record |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/World-Premiere-of-MY-NEIGHBOUR-TOTORO-Stage-Adaptation-Breaks-Barbican-Box-Office-Record-20220520 |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=Broadway World |language=en |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522065704/https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/World-Premiere-of-MY-NEIGHBOUR-TOTORO-Stage-Adaptation-Breaks-Barbican-Box-Office-Record-20220520 |url-status=live }}</ref> The show won six [[Laurence Olivier Awards|Olivier Awards]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=2023-11-16 |title='My Neighbor Totoro' Adaptor Unpacks New Season of Hit Olivier-Winning Show: 'It's Got That Beautiful, Timeless Quality' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/theater/global/my-neighbor-totoro-new-season-1235792336/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208130819/https://variety.com/2023/theater/global/my-neighbor-totoro-new-season-1235792336/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 30 March 2023, it was announced that the production will return to the Barbican for another season,<ref>{{cite news |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |date=30 March 2023 |title=My Neighbour Totoro to return to the Barbican |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/30/my-neighbour-totoro-return-barbican-studio-ghibli |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330113929/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/30/my-neighbour-totoro-return-barbican-studio-ghibli |archive-date=30 March 2023}}</ref> which began on 21 November 2023 and ran until 23 March 2024.<ref name=":8" />{{Update after|2024|3|23}}

== See also ==
* ''[[Japan, Our Homeland]]'' and ''[[Mai Mai Miracle]]'' (also depicting Japan in the 1950s)
* [[Enchanted forest]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|My Neighbor Totoro}}
* {{Official website|https://movies.disney.com/my-neighbor-totoro|Official U.S. website}}
* {{anime News Network|movie|id=534}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0096283}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|id=my_neighbor_totoro}}
* {{IMDb title|0803038|Mei and the Kitten Bus|(2002)}}
* [http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tonari_no_totoro Entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418184119/http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tonari_no_totoro |date=April 18, 2012 }} in [[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]
* [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/joe-hisaishis-soundtrack-for-my-neighbor-totoro-9781501345128/ Joe Hisaishi's Soundtrack for My Neighbor Totoro] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101071900/https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/joe-hisaishis-soundtrack-for-my-neighbor-totoro-9781501345128/ |date=November 1, 2020 }}, book by Kunio Hara, [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/series/33-13-japan/ 33-1/3 Japan Series] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202034508/https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/series/33-13-japan/ |date=February 2, 2021 }}, Bloomsbury, {{ISBN|9781501345128}}

{{Hayao Miyazaki}}
{{Studio Ghibli Films}}
{{Anime Grand Prix}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Best Film}}
{{Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film}}
{{Ōfuji Noburō Award}}
{{Seiun Award - Best Media}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1988 anime films]]
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1988 children's films]]
[[Category:1988 fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s children's animated films]]
[[Category:1980s children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Animated films about sisters]]
[[Category:Anime films with original screenplays]]
[[Category:Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners]]
[[Category:Drama anime and manga]]
[[Category:Animated films about father–daughter relationships]]
[[Category:Animated films about mother–daughter relationships]]
[[Category:Films about runaways]]
[[Category:Films directed by Hayao Miyazaki]]
[[Category:Films scored by Joe Hisaishi]]
[[Category:Animated films set in forests]]
[[Category:Animated films set in Japan]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Hayao Miyazaki]]
[[Category:Japanese animated fantasy films]]
[[Category:Japanese animated feature films]]
[[Category:Japanese children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:Japanese mythology in anime and manga]]
[[Category:Studio Ghibli animated films]]
[[Category:Toho animated films]]
[[Category:Animated films set in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Animated films based on Japanese myths and legends]]
[[Category:Tokuma Shoten anime]]