My Neighbor Totoro: Full Synopsis & Analysis (Spoilers Explained)

“My Neighbor Totoro(Studio Ghibli Official)” is a theatrical animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, released on April 16, 1988.

It is an incredibly famous film, and many people have likely watched it numerous times since childhood. This time, I’d like to summarize the plot and key points of “My Neighbor Totoro.” However, please be aware that when I say “synopsis,” I will be writing out the entire story. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should read partway through and then immediately watch the film (though you might be okay to read the final “key points” section).

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「となりのトトロ」のネタバレあらすじと考察ポイント-人物相関図付きでラストまで解説-“.

“My Neighbor Totoro” Synopsis (Spoilers Ahead)

Quick Summary

A brief summary of the key points of “My Neighbor Totoro” is as follows:

Story Commentary

In a nutshell, “My Neighbor Totoro” is “a story of an encounter between mysterious beings and young girls,” but it’s a film where the characters of Totoro and the Catbus leave a powerful, lasting impression on children’s hearts.

Everyone who has seen “My Neighbor Totoro” has surely thought, “I want to ride the Catbus!” and even as adults, many probably still see Totoro in a strong gust of wind. The greatness of “My Neighbor Totoro” lies in its ability to achieve animated expressions that appeal to these human senses.

It is also worth noting that Mei goes missing twice during the film. Children often lack a strong sense of “self-preservation” and can act in extremely emotional or impulsive ways. It is thought that this “precariousness of children” is also depicted.

With that, let’s take a more detailed look at the synopsis of “My Neighbor Totoro.”

The Kusakabe Family’s Move

The story’s protagonists are sisters Satsuki, a sixth-grader, and four-year-old Mei. The story begins as they move with their father. After greeting their new neighbors, the three head to their new home in a truck crammed with their belongings. However, the “new” house is quite old and dilapidated.

Their father tells them to find the stairs to the second floor and open the window. The two joyfully discover the stairs, but a single acorn mysteriously drops from the darkness. Filled with anticipation for the “soot sprites” (Makkuro Kurosuke) their father just told them about, the two sing loudly, “Soot sprites, come on out! Or we’ll poke your eyes out!”

Afterward, they resolve to climb the stairs step by step. At the top, a dim room spreads before them. Sensing a presence in the darkness, Satsuki immediately runs to open the window. Her sister Mei, slightly behind, sees something like a clump of soot escape into a crack in the wall. Satsuki sees her father trip while carrying something heavy outside and immediately rushes to his side, but Mei stares intently at the wall and gently pokes her finger into the crack. In that instant, the soot-like objects burst out from the gap.

Mei manages to catch “one” of them and tries to show Satsuki, but the “soot sprite” that should have been in her hand vanishes, leaving only her hand covered in black soot. The old woman, who came to help with the move, tells them they are “Susuwatari” (soot sprites). The Susuwatari, upon the arrival of new residents, might just be planning their own move…

Visiting Mother and the Appearance of Totoro

Satsuki and Mei’s mother is recovering from an illness. One day, after they have settled in a bit, they ride three-on-a-bike to Shichikokuyama Hospital for a long-awaited visit.

When they arrive at the hospital, their father goes to speak with the doctor, while Satsuki and Mei head to their mother’s room. Satsuki has her hair combed by her mother, whom she hasn’t seen in a while. Satsuki, who shares household chores with her father, seems to be able to be a child again for a moment.

Though it wasn’t for long, Satsuki and Mei were overjoyed to see their mother again. At the same time, they became even more eager for her to come home from the hospital.

Since Satsuki goes to school on weekdays, Mei either stays home with her father or is looked after by the old woman who helped them move. On this day, her father was home, so Mei was also at home. Even with her father there, he was busy with his research and couldn’t play with Mei the whole time. Still, Mei found a way to play with her father, deciding he would be her “flower shop” customer.

Nevertheless, she was still essentially “playing alone.” It was then that Mei found acorns again. As she followed them, she encountered a mysterious, white, almost transparent being.

Mei excitedly chases after the creature. She loses it for a moment, but then finds it again. This time, there’s a slightly larger one with it. Mei decides she must chase them and dashes off.

Forgetting herself as she chased the “two,” Mei unknowingly arrived at the base of a large tree. The two creatures seemed to have gone between the tree’s roots. There, a single acorn lay suggestively. As Mei reached for it, she slipped and fell into a mysterious hole leading down into the tree’s roots.

Beyond the hole, a mysterious space opened up. There, Mei saw a creature far larger than the ones she had just seen. When Mei asked its name, it let out a roar. From this, Mei assumed its name was “Totoro.” And then, after her big chase with the smaller Totoros, Mei unknowingly falls asleep.

When she woke up, Totoro was gone. She told her father and Satsuki that she had met Totoro, but they didn’t believe her. Still, her father explained that Mei had likely met the master of the forest, and they all went to the shrine in “Tsukamori” to pay their respects to the forest master. There stood the same giant tree she had seen earlier. Mei tried to lead Satsuki to the hole from before, but the hole was no longer there. Had Mei been dreaming?

The Appearance of the Catbus and the Nuts

Some time later, the two sisters went to the nearby bus stop to meet their father coming home from work. It looked like it might rain, so they went to bring him an umbrella. However, no matter how long they waited, their father didn’t return. On the dark, rainy road, with only the sound of the rain, the two waited anxiously for their father.

After a while, Mei got sleepy. Satsuki tried to send her home, but Mei insisted on waiting, so Satsuki had no choice but to carry her on her back. Soon, Mei fell asleep, and as Satsuki waited alone for her father, a strange shadow approached. When Satsuki cautiously looked at the figure, she saw the “Totoro” that Mei had encountered the other day.

A little startled, Satsuki lent her umbrella to Totoro, who was getting soaked with just a leaf on his head. Totoro, delighted by the sound of raindrops on the umbrella, suddenly let out a loud roar. Then, something that looked like a bus approached, but it seemed strange. When the creature reached the bus stop, it was a bus in the shape of a cat.

Totoro boarded the strange bus as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but as a thank-you for the enjoyable time, he gave her a package of nuts.

And then the cat-shaped bus departed. Unbeknownst to them, the rain had stopped. Just then, the bus carrying their father finally arrived at the bus stop. Satsuki and Mei excitedly told their father about meeting Totoro again, but their father had no idea what they were talking about. Still, the three of them happily walked home together.

Satsuki and Mei decided to plant the nuts they received from Totoro in their garden. Mei waited eagerly every day for them to sprout, but they never did. Then one night, as Satsuki and Mei were in bed, they spotted the Totoros near where they had planted the nuts. They seemed to be performing some kind of ritual. Satsuki and Mei jumped out of bed and joined the mysterious ritual, and what do you know? From the spot where they planted the nuts, sprouts began to emerge one after another, growing larger and larger.

Before they knew it, everything had merged into one giant tree. While this was happening, their father, busy with his research, was completely unaware. Satsuki and Mei continued to spend a magical time with the Totoros. When they realized it, it was the next morning. However, the giant tree that should have been in the garden from the night before was gone. Still, when they looked at the spot where they had planted the nuts, a small sprout had appeared. Did the events of that night really happen?

A Call from the Hospital and Mei’s Disappearance

After having these various mysterious experiences, a telegram arrives for Satsuki and Mei from Shichikokuyama Hospital. The message reads, “CONTACT ME.” Believing something must have happened to their mother, Satsuki goes to borrow a phone to contact her father at work.

According to her father’s return call after contacting the hospital, her mother’s temporary return home would be slightly delayed. Mei, upon hearing this fact, is devastated and bursts into tears. Normally, Satsuki might have comforted Mei, but Satsuki was at her limit too. She tried to remain calm, but while talking to the old woman about how the same thing had happened over and over, she was overcome with the thought that this time her mother might die, and she finally broke down and cried. Everything that had been building up inside her exploded at this moment.

Mei saw Satsuki in this state. And Mei decided to go see her mother by herself. She thought that if she gave her mother the corn she had picked, it would make her well.

But as expected, Mei gets lost. The entire neighborhood searches for Mei, but she is nowhere to be found. Just then, a sandal, thought to be Mei’s, is found in a pond. Satsuki runs at full speed to the scene. Fortunately, the sandal was not Mei’s, but Satsuki keenly felt that Mei was in danger and decided to place her hope in Totoro.

As if Satsuki’s wish was heard, she finds her way to Totoro’s dwelling. Seeing Satsuki’s desperate plea to find Mei, Totoro senses something, takes Satsuki to the top of the giant tree, and summons the Catbus.

The destination sign on the arriving Catbus rapidly changes, finally settling on “MEI.” It seems the Catbus will take her to Mei. The Catbus speeds over rice paddies, through the forest, and even on top of power lines.

Satsuki’s voice reaches Mei, who is huddled alone and sad near a Jizo statue. The Catbus had truly brought Satsuki to Mei.

The ever-generous Catbus then takes the two of them to Shichikokuyama Hospital. Without their mother noticing, they deliver the corn to her and then head for home.

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The above is the synopsis of “My Neighbor Totoro.” The end credits follow this scene. The still images in the end credits also depict the story that follows, so be sure to watch them carefully.

Next are the points for consideration in “My Neighbor Totoro.”

Points for Analysis in “My Neighbor Totoro”

The Lie the Mother Told

One of the most memorable scenes in “My Neighbor Totoro” is likely the one in the hospital where the mother combs Satsuki’s hair. In that moment, Satsuki seems to have a joyful air, as if she’s a child again, and it might be the only truly heartwarming scene in the film.

However, in this scene, it is believed that Satsuki’s mother tells a certain lie. Of course, this is just a personal opinion, but it’s highly likely she is lying. What lie did the mother tell, and why did she tell it? I’ve summarized my thoughts on this in the following article. Let’s check our answers after watching the film.

My Neighbor Totoro:The "Beautiful Lie" and the "Potentially Unbeautiful Lie" Told by the MotherAn in-depth analysis of the mother's words in My Neighbor Totoro. Wh...

Satsuki’s Tears

The scene where Satsuki cries her eyes out after learning her mother’s temporary return is postponed struck a chord with me even as a child. Mei also cries right before that, but perhaps because I was the younger brother, I used to think, “Don’t cause trouble for your older sister.” Now that I’m older, I think, “Of course, she would cry.” The important thing is that the meaning behind the two crying scenes is vastly different.

What is the meaning behind the scene where Satsuki cries?

I have summarized my thoughts on this in the following article.

My Neighbor Totoro:What is the Meaning Behind the Scene Where Satsuki Cries?Explore the deep meaning behind the scene where Satsuki cries in Stu...

I also briefly touch on Mei’s crying at the end, so please compare it with your own thoughts.

The Couple in the Farm Truck

I’ve watched “My Neighbor Totoro” many times since I was a child, but there was always one scene that bothered me.

It’s the scene where Satsuki, searching for Mei who has disappeared for the second time, encounters a man and a woman in a farm truck.

Why was it those two who appeared there? It could have just been the man alone, or the woman alone. But what was ultimately depicted was a man and a woman in a farm truck.

I personally believe that those two foreshadow Kanta’s fate. It may sound far-fetched, but I’ve outlined my thoughts in the following article:

My Neighbor Totoro: The Sad Fate Awaiting KantaDiscover the heartbreaking theory behind Kanta's unrequited love for...

It might be a bit of a stretch, but for some reason, this is what I came to think.

The Mystery of the Urban Legend

There is a famous urban legend associated with “My Neighbor Totoro.” To summarize it briefly:

The question here is not whether this urban legend is true or not. It is why this urban legend came to be. Why are people so eager to kill off Mei and Satsuki? It might be interesting to ponder why this urban legend was born while watching “My Neighbor Totoro.”

I have summarized my personal thoughts on the reason in the following article.

Why Was the "My Neighbor Totoro" Urban Legend Born?Why does the dark urban legend about "My Neighbor Totoro" persist? T...

I’d like you to compare this with your own ideas as well.

The images used in this article are from the “Studio Ghibli Still Images” collection.