|
Satsuki and Mei have moved to their new home in the countryside with
their Dad. Their Mom who is sick with tuberculosis is recuperating at a
nearby hospital and it is the family's hope that the new home, away
from the crowd and pollution in the city, will help the Mother get well
sooner.
When they sisters arrived at their new home, they become instantly
aware that there are strange and mysterious things there. They quickly
encountered the black creatures called susa-atari who occupy dark and
quiet places. They are also told by their elderly neighbour Granny that
the village is filled with stories of wondrous creatures.
As time passes, the sisters find themselves settling comfortably into
their new surroundings. Satsuki has already made a lot of friends at
school, but has taken opposition with the boy next door, Kanta, who is
also Granny's grandson. While Satsuki is at school, Mei would spend her
time in the garden or if their Father is at work at Granny's home. On
the week-ends, the family would get onto their bicycle and ride to the
hospital where Satsuki and Mei's Mom resides.
One day, while Satsuki was at school and her Father was in his study,
Mei wandered in the garden and saw two little creatures. She followed
them around the garden and when the creatures tried to escape into the
forest, Mei quickly followed them. The creatures ran up to the biggest
tree and crawled down hole that was near the bottom of the trunk. Mei
fell through the hole and into their secret home. Mei met a giant
creature similar in appearance as the other two, only much much bigger.
When Mei asked for its name, it replied "To to ro" and Mei decided to
call him Totoro. The chase had exhausted Mei and so she fell asleep on
the soft tummy of the tree creature. When she woke up, she was lying in
the middle of the forest without a Totoro insight. With Satsuki and her
Father following close behind her, Mei tried to find Totoro's secret
hiding place again, but the hole in the trunk had mysteriously closed
without any trace of a Totoro.
One rainy afternoon, Satsuki and Mei decided to pick up their Father
from the bus stop. As they waited, Totoro suddenly came up behind them
with his leaf umbrella. Satsuki offered Totoro her extra umbrella.
Totoro is delighted with his new-found toy. In return, he gave a
package of seed to Satsuki and Mei as a thank-you gift before leaving
on Neko Bus.
Satsuki and Mei planted the seeds in their backyard, but as each day
passed and the seeds did not grow, they became more and more
discouraged. One night, Satsuki woke up to see Totoro, Chu Totoro and
Chibi Totoro prancing in the backyard around the plot where the seeds
were planted. Satsuki and Mei quickly rushed to join them in their
little dance, and before their eyes, the seeds began to grow. As they
continued to dance, the seeds grew more and more until they blossomed
into a giant tree. To celebrate, Totoro took Satsuki and Mei on a
flight through the sky. As they grabbed onto the fur on its tummy,
Totoro flew high above the village. However, no one else was aware of
the giant tree or Totoro because no one else could see them or the
girls as they flew high above their rooftops or when they sat on the
tallest branch of the tree playing a little flute.
The next morning, the girls woke up in their beds. They peered outside
the window to see that the giant tree was gone, but in their place
were little green seedlings that had grown and surface during the
night.
Satsuki and Mei continued to be very happy in their new home and their
Mom was due to visit for the week-end. One hot afternoon, a messenger
arrived with a telegram that they are to call their Mother's hospital
immediately. Satsuki hurriedly ran to the telephone in the village and
learned that their Mother has taken a turn for the worse and cannot
visit as planned. Satsuki tries to put on a brave front, but she
eventually crumbles in Granny's arms and confessed her fears that
their Mother will die. Mei, seeing her sister's tears, is struck by
the seriousness of her Mother's illness. With a cob of corn she
herself picked earlier in the afternoon, Mei ran towards the hospital
in hopes of seeing her Mother.
As the evening arrived, Satsuki realized Mei was missing and a search
was quickly organized. Soon, the whole village is on a search to find
Mei. Having guessed that Mei would try to find their Mother, Satsuki
called the hospital only to learn that Mei never appeared there.
Satsuki realized Mei must have gotten lost on the way. In desperation,
Satsuki prayed to Totoro to help her. Totoro then appeared and offered
Neko Bus to help Satsuki. Neko Bus took Satsuki high above the village
by running on top of trees and telephone wires without being seen by
any of the villagers. From high above, Satsuki is finally able to find
Mei who was crying on the side of the road. The sisters reunited and
together, Neko Bus took the sisters to the hospital to see their
mother. From sitting on a tree branch over their Mother's window, they
learn that the telegram was actually meant to inform them their Mother
has gotten well so quickly that instead of just being able to visit
for the week-end, she would actually be able to go home for good. The
sisters rejoiced to hear the happy news. Before they left, the sisters
left Mei's corn on their Mother's windowsill with the writings "To
Mother" etched in.
The sisters then happily returned home and prepared to welcome home
their Mother.
|