Two little girls move, with their father, to an old house in rural Japan. Besides adjusting to a new school and friends, they come to discover that a Totoro, or forest spirit, lives in a large camphor tree nearby. They soon encounter the Totoro and learn about his(?) secret world. The pacing is slow but never dull. The beautiful animation is painstakingly rendered but never overdone. Charmingly cute, the movie is a far cry from the syrupy goo that Disney mass-produces these days. I have not met a child yet who was not riveted to the screen.

David Lasky