tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post6718234029207245419..comments2024-03-19T02:27:08.584-05:00Comments on Ghibli Blog: Studio Ghibli, Animation and the Movies: Kiki's Delivery Service - Japanese TrailersDaniel Thomas MacInneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-69402609630740106602009-06-30T13:55:45.683-05:002009-06-30T13:55:45.683-05:00My Neighbor Totoro simply needed time to find its ...My Neighbor Totoro simply needed time to find its audience. Remember that this was a wholly original movie in 1988, not a tie-in with any popular comic or tv series. It's also a very unconventional movie, far closer to Ozu and neorealism than any cartoon fantasy. The Totoros only occupy a small time on screen.<br /><br />The sale of Totoro merchandise is credited with building the fanbase, and eventually the movie rightfully earned its place among the pantheon of Japanese cinema.<br /><br />There was also a similar brewing period here in the States, probably longer. Just track down the old Siskel & Ebert episode where they scuffle over Totoro. If Totoro seemed unusual to Japanese eyes and ears, it was downright alien to Americans. No villain! No standup comics! No songs! No moral lessons! No melodrama! No action!<br /><br />You get the point. Many of the great works of art are ahead of their time, and require a certain gestation period to become widely appreciated and understood. See: Van Gogh, Citizen Kane, Pet Sounds.Daniel Thomas MacInneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01406180871529775448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24969765.post-5614877729832571312009-06-30T06:56:09.717-05:002009-06-30T06:56:09.717-05:00Its truly hard to believe that Totoro failed to tu...Its truly hard to believe that Totoro failed to turn in a profit when it first screened, seeing just how immensely popular it still is here in Japan.blauereiterhttp://halcyonrealms.comnoreply@blogger.com