TOTO-REV.DOC (9 TOTORO REVIEWS) * formatted to a 73-character line * ------------------------------- WRITTEN BY: James Ulmer FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, February 1, 1993 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 TROMA PICKS UP JAPANESE TOON by James Ulmer A division of the Tokuma Group, the giant Japanese publisher, has pacted with maverick New York film company Troma Inc. for Troma to distribute the Japanese animated feature hit "My Neighbor Totoro" in North America. The deal with Tokuma Shoten Publishing Co. is one of the first such mainstream distribution deals struck by Troma, which has been known for producing such exploitation capers as the "Toxic Avenger" and "Class of Nuke 'Em High" film series. Troma's 50th Street Films, its distribution arm for specialized films, will release the movie first in key cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, beginning in the spring. About 200 prints will be made--an unusually large number for a small indie such as Troma. "This is part of our thrust to become a serious independent distributor for top quality, mainstream movies which haven't been discovered by the majors," said Troma chief Lloyd Kaufman. "My Neighbor Totoro," by renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, tells the story of two kids who leave their city to live in a country house with their father and are helped through their adventures by a colony of furry, mouselike creatures. Miyazaki's animated films have been extremely successful in Japan, with the Totoro character being "more beloved than Mickey Mouse," said Kaufman. Released in Japan in 1989, "My Neighbor Totoru" reaped about $5 million theatrically and took in took in $80 million overall, including cassette sales, merchandising, publishing and music, according to a Tokuma Publishing film rep. "The quality of the film's animation is on the level of anything that Disney has produced," Kaufman said. "In my opinion, it's more beautiful." He added that the film has been translated into English and features English-language songs. "We felt Troma's size and its approach of doing smaller releases was very good for what we wanted to do for our first attempt of feature release of this film in North America," Johnson said of Tokuma Shoten Publishing's deal. While Johnson acknowledged that Japanese feature animation has not been widely successful in North America, he added this was "one reason we decided to go with Troma and prove to American public the commercial appeal of the Miyazaki animated pictures." The Tokuma Group includes 22 companies and is chaired and wholly owned by leading Japanese producer Yasuyoshi Tokuma. Other companies under TTG's umbrella include a motion picture studio and distributor, an animation studio, a music studio, a marketing company, hotels, restaurants, schools and a farm. Tokuma owns Daiei Studios, which produced Akira Kurosawa's "Rashoman" [sic] in the early 1950s, and is releasing Kurosawa's 13th film, "Madadayo," this year. He also executive produced the 1990 Oscar- nominated "Ju Dou," and heads up the annual Tokyo International Film Festival. The Tokuma Group also has a video division, which distributed some of Troma's movies in Japan, including "Cry Uncle," "Combat Shock" and "Evil Clutch." ##### WRITTEN BY: Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, April 8, 1993 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 50TH STREET NEW AVENUE FOR TROMA'S FILM OUTPUT by Jeffrey Jolson-Colburn Troma Pictures is firing up a domestic distribution division, 50th Street Films, to release pictures produced by third parties that do not fit the traditional Troma profile of campy, low-budget films. In addition, Troma topper Lloyd Kaufman said the company is developing for Fox Children's Network an animated half-hour TV series pilot based on its "Class of Nuke 'Em High" film series. The first-run ani [sic] series "Toxic Avenger" is a big success for Troma, generating more than $80 million in merchandising alone. Starting May 7, 50th Street will distribute the Japanese feature- length animated hit film "My Neighbor Totoro," for which Troma acquired North American rights from Tokyo-based Tokuma. Kaufman said the G-rated film will eventually hit about 1,000 screens, rotating from a couple of hundred prints on nine national circuits. The English-language film is by animation mogul Hayao Miyazaki, sometimes called the "Walt Disney of Japan." His latest ani picture, "Porco Rosso," was Japan's No. 1 film in 1992, grossing $44 million to beat all local and international offerings. Totoros are furry forest creatures that only children can see and have spawned over 200 merchandising items, according to John Johnson of Tokuma Publishing, a diversified company that is Miyazaki's studio. He said Tokuma creates a new ani feature from Miyazaki every 18 months, and if this film was a success in the United States, they would bring over the others, of which there are six so far. Tokuma also produced the Oscar-nominated "Ju Dou" and owns Daiei Studios, which is producing Akira Kurosawa's 30th film, "Mada Dayo," set to premiere in Cannes out of competition. Kaufman said, "We are very excited about this film. It is a big change for us to handle Disney-type films. That's why we're using 50th Street, because this is non-typical of Troma movies." Technically, 50th Street is not new. Though it is the premier use by Troma for one of its own pictures, it has been given test runs by LIVE Entertainment for "Bride of the Re-Animator" and Prism for "Club Life" with Tony Curtis. "We gave them a turnkey distribution operation," explained Kaufman. "Essentially, they rented out the company." On other fronts, Troma has just pacted to start "Toxic Crusader" cartoons and flow merchandise south as part of a new deal that saw the 'toons dubbed in Spanish for use in South America. In addition, the company is gearing up for one of its biggest film campaigns to date, for the recently completed interstellar transvestites send-up, "Vegas In Space." Kaufman also said the company is considering a plan to spin off Troma's licensing division in a public offering. "Besides 'Toxic Avengers,' Troma owns 100-plus movies, plus we have the licensing rights to the acclaimed PBS children's series 'Reading Rainbow,' as well as 'Adam Smith's Money World' and 'The Cat Hall of Fame," which is on everything from greeting cards to shower curtains. So (Troma vp) Michael Herz and I are considering taking the licensing business and creating a separate company with exclusive contract to merchandise all of the Troma movies. We would raise money through an offering to make that end of the business grow." As for whether he might take all of Troma public, "We have had numerous offers to do that, but I don't want to until we are big enough to raise $60 million or $70 million that way. Otherwise it isn't worth it." ##### WRITTEN BY: David Hunter FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, April 29, 1993 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 'MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO' by David Hunter Troma's family-oriented offshoot, 50th Street Films, and Japanese conglomerate Tokuma Shoten Publishing have a sweet, winning film in Hayao Miyazaki's animated feature, "My Neighbor Totoro." It remains to be seen, though, if the popular Japanese character Totoro and Miyazaki's magic will sustain more than a limited theatrical release. Future vid prospects look bright, however, for this family-centered adventure touching on universal joys and mysteries of life. Likewise, animation fans will be drawn to the rich visual style that effortlessly charms and dazzles. The simple, but detailed, story centers on two kittenish young girls and their palsy-walsy dad moving into an old house in the countryside. Satsuki is a fourth-grader and explorer who teams up with 4-year-old Mei for adventures and joyful discoveries. Laughing constantly, yelling to frighten away ghosts, running everywhere, the two are young enough to see furtive dustballs-with-eyes and the magical Totoro creatures. Residing in a nearby grove of camphor trees, the big-bellied, pointy-eared mature Totoro resembles a giant cat-owl combination that bellows incoherently. Two smaller Totoros of younger ages are likewise in the neighborhood. Existing beyond the realm of grown-up perception, the peaceful, magical creatures are never seriously questioned by children or adults. The worst that happens in the G-rated film is Mei losing her way in route to visit the family's hospitalized mother. In these and other sequences, Miyazaki wonderfully captures the point-of-view and perspective of young children. One of the highlights occurs when the somber but friendly Totoro catches the Catbus, a 12-legged means of living transportation. However, it's the simpler details of life evocatively rendered--falling raindrops, wind rattling shutters--that resonate longest. Front and backend songs are chirpy but forgettable, while the score is conservatively formulaic. English voice actors are just right for the main characters, which also include a skittish next-door boy and his grandmother. The film's leisurely pace slows to a crawl in spots, but overall children should be captivated and adults intrigued. ##### WRITTEN BY: Leonard Klady FIRST PUBLISHED IN: DAILY VARIETY, May 6, 1993; Review section FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (JAPANESE--ANIMATED--COLOR) by Leonard Klady A Troma Inc. release of a Tokuma Group production. Produced by Toru Hara. Exec producer, Yasuyoshi Tokuma. Directed, written by Hayao Miyazaki; editor, Takeshi Seyama; music, Jo Hisaishi; production design, Yoshiharu Sato; art direction, Kazuo Oga; special effects, Kaoru Tanifuji; English lyrics, Severin Browne; production planning supervisor, Tatsumi Yamashita, Hideo Ogata; assistant director, Tetsuya Endo. Reviewed at Sunset Screening Room, L.A., April 28, 1993. MPAA Rating: G. Running Time: 87 min. Voices: Satsuki . . . Lisa Michaelson Mei . . . Cheryl Chase Dad . . . Greg Snegoff Kanta . . . Kenneth Hartman Mother . . . Alexandra Kenworthy Nanny . . . Natalie Core Troma, purveyors of such unusual and fitfully crass entertainments as "Toxic Avenger" and "Sgt. Kabukiman," are off on a different and difficult rocky path with the animated Japanese kidpic "My Neighbor Totoro." Displaying no more than adequate television technical craft, the simple family saga poses no threat to the commercial dominance of Disney cartoonists. U.S. box office prospects will be fleeting, likely no more than a blip among the upcoming onslaught of product. Apparently a popular household character in Japan, Totoro is a furry forest sprite with magical powers ranging from the mystical to the superhuman. He also can only be seen by children, though adults recall his memory fondly. The story centers on two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move to rural Japan with their professor father. In a far-off city hospital, their mother is recuperating from some unnamed ailment. Not only is the tale of a wholesome stripe unseen for generations, but is virtually absent of dramatic tension. Instead, it largely concentrates on the journey of wonderment in which the girls discover a new environment and the creatures both real and fanciful of the region. They are indeed cuddly and have a few tricks that are mildly diverting. The action slowly builds to a crisis in which their mother is unable to return home for a family weekend. However, while it all seems so dire to the tykes, we soon discover she has merely contracted a mild cold. The revelation is a palpable letdown. Obviously aimed at an international audience, the film evinces a disorienting combination of cultures that produces a nowhere land more confused than fascinating. The characters, despite obvious Japanese names, have Anglo features. But instead of a 1950s television neighborhood, they dwell in unmistakable Asian houses surrounded by rice fields while innocuous pop songs drone on the soundtrack. Writer-director Hayao Miyazaki has essentially padded a television half-hour into a sluggish theatrical feature. With a half-century of Disney full animation at one's disposal, the rigid backgrounds and limited character movements appear dull and crude when viewed on a large screen. The muted pastels, homogenized pictorial style and vapid storyline all add up to an extremely lonely neighborhood when Totoro moves into theaters. ##### WRITTEN BY: John Hartl FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE SEATTLE TIMES, May 6, 1993; Arts & Entertainment section, p. D8 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 JAPAN'S 'MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO' IS AN ENCHANTING ADVENTURE by John Hartl [three stars] "My Neighbor Totoro," animated feature directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. Opens tomorrow at Alderwood, Aurora, Grand Illusion, Lewis & Clark, Newmark, Totem Lake, SeaTac Mall Cinemas. "G"-- General audiences. Unlike the series of ultra-violent "splattertoons" from Japan that have been playing art houses in some cities, this is a charmingly whimsical, English-dubbed cartoon that's getting a wide release this weekend in the suburbs. Previously shown here at last year's Japanese Film Festival, "My Neighbor Totoro" is the story of two city children, Satsuki and her younger sister Mei, who move to the country and make acquaintance with forest playmates their parents can't see. Their mother is ill at a country hospital, and the girls and their father have moved to an apparently haunted house to be near her. The kids are enchanted with the place, which comes equipped with magical Tribble-like creatures they call dust bunnies. Near the house is a mysterious giant camphor tree that's part of a forest that reveals more hidden treasures, including Catbus, a 12-legged creature/vehicle that takes them on rides through the woods, and Totoro, a furry playmate and guardian who sounds like Godzilla and looks like a cross between an owl and a bloated penguin. The early scenes deal with the blissful relationship the girls have with their parents, especially their father, a scientist and university professor who does more than tolerate their new enthusiasms. Indeed, he claims it's been his lifelong dream to live in a haunted house; he believes that long ago "trees and men were the best of friends." Still, he sleeps through Totoro's most spectacular nocturnal demonstration of otherworldly powers. Even the girls aren't quite sure what they saw the next morning. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (best-known in this country for the much-praised "Laputa: The Castle in the Sky"), the movie is based on Miyazaki's book, which recently turned up in an Americanized version from Tokuma Publishing in Bellevue. Book and film were hugely popular five years ago in Japan, where Miyazaki followed them up with last year's top- grossing Japanese film, "Porco Rosso." Miyazaki's appreciation of miraculous possibilities and childhood visions is what drives "Totoro," not the rather trumped-up drama of Mei's disappearance during the final stretch. The movie has a lulling, gently wry quality that makes its commercial success in a mayhem-dominated market a de [???; ...; "delightful exception," perhaps???] PICTURE & CAPTION: Totoro, a cross between Godzilla and a bloated penguin, is a furry playmate and guardian to two city children who move to the country. ##### WRITTEN BY: ? FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE SEATTLE TIMES, May 15, 1993; Scene--Kid Talk, p. C1 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 'TOTORO' IS A GREAT FAMILY FILM [author not identified] MALIKA BENNETT, 12: "My Neighbor Totoro" is a great new family cartoon movie about two girls and their family who moved to the country to be closer to their mother, who is in the hospital. Mei, the youngest, misses her mom so much, she runs away to go find the hospital to visit her, but on the way she gets lost and only Totoro knows where she is. This lovable and adorable Totoro brings mysteries and adventures to the story. "Totoro" is great. I especially loved it because of the creative and artistic scenes from Japan. I'm sure you'll love it and if you don't believe me, go see it yourself, it's at lots of theaters right now!. [remainder--which was non-anime-related--deleted] ##### WRITTEN BY: Lynn Smith FIRST PUBLISHED IN: THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, May 20, 1993; OC Live section, p. 21 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 KIDS ON FILM: FAMILIES SEE A FRIEND IN 'TOTORO' by Lynn Smith In the animated Japanese import "My Neighbor Totoro," two sisters, Satsuki and May, move into a country house haunted by dust bunnies and meet a giant animal ghost who helps them when May gets lost. (Rated G) * [one star] Here is a movie that parents might wish their children liked as much as they did themselves. As Shawn's mother explained it, it has respect for elders, respect for nature, respect for quality animation. No violence. A community that gets along together. Safe neighborhoods. Public transportation that works. Family members that clearly love one another even through all their trials. It can get to you. "I thought she was going to cry," 9-year-old Shawn said of his mother. "I said, 'Don't cry.'" Almost all kids in Japan love this movie, said Yuka, 12, who grew up there. "I have the video." For others who might wonder, Yuka explained that totoro is the Japanese word for an animal ghost that only children can see. And Shawn said he liked it too. Maybe not as much as his mother. And, of course, for different reasons. "In all the cartoons I've seen, I've never seen a cat bus," he said. "And I liked it when Totoro roared loud!" He said his mother explained at the outset that this movie was about Japan, which was a good thing. "I thought it was China," he said. "I get those two mixed up." He noticed that the daily life of the Japanese girls differed from his own. "They eat with chopsticks, and we eat with forks and knives and spoons. They take a bath in a circle bath. Ours is a line bath." The movie might seem a little long, he said, but he'd "recommend it to the whole world." The humor was universal, he said. "The funny part I liked was when the raindrops kept going on Totoro's nose and they gave him an umbrella and he looked funny. He was so big with that little umbrella." And Shawn could relate to the fears of the girls as they first explored their new dark attic. "I used to think there's monsters in the dark, but then I said to myself, 'There's no monsters,' and ever since that happened, I wasn't scared of the dark. "I'm not even scared walking in the dark." PHOTO & CAPTION: "Totoro" was made in Japan but appeals to the West too. ##### WRITTEN BY: Trudi Miller Rosenblum, with assistance from Steve McClure in Tokyo FIRST PUBLISHED IN: BILLBOARD, August 20, 1994; p. 1 FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 'TOTORO' CUDDLES UP TO U.S. KIDS; FOX BUILDS AWARENESS FOR JAPANESE VID by Trudi Miller Rosenblum, with assistance from Steve McClure in Tokyo Dateline: New York Walk into any toy store in Japan, and you are likely to find an entire wall devoted to a furry, cuddly creature called Totoro, star of the Japanese animated film "My Neighbor Totoro." Japanese children read Totoro storybooks, write with Totoro pen-and-pencil sets, eat from Totoro lunch boxes, and sleep with plush Totoro dolls, while their parents can make calls with Totoro phone cards. American kids, of course, are just beginning to learn of Totoro. FoxVideo has been creating this awareness with its English-dubbed video of "My Neighbor Totoro," released here July 19. The release is unusual because most successful children's videos are either big-name theatrical releases or titles built around familiar characters. Fox hopes to overcome this handicap by targeting its marketing efforts at quality-minded parents, rather than their children. FoxVideo's acquisitions department became aware of the film in 1993, when Troma Films gave it a limited theatrical release to U.S. art houses. "We had a screening of it for everyone in our video group, and we were immediately impressed," says marketing director Deborah Mitchell. "The colors, the attention to detail, the imagery is so spectacular. Once we had the screening, it was a natural to release it in our Family Features line" (Billboard, June 25). Marketing the video is a special challenge "because of the limited title awareness in the U.S.," says Mitchell. Word-of-mouth should be a significant factor. Already, film critics from newspapers and television shows across the country have championed the video--among them Siskel & Ebert, who made it a "pick of the week" and called it "a real treasure." Armed with positive reviews, Mitchell says Fox set out to "push [the title] into retail and use retail to create the purchase decision." Fox created a three-dimensional prepack display with a header card featuring Totoro flying toward the consumer, and an attached plush toy which consumers can get free by mailing in a card from the video. The clamshell packaging features colorful graphics of characters from the movie, quotes from Ebert and other critics, and a sticker identifying the film as winner of the "Award Of Excellence" from the Film Advisory Board. "We feel that the packaging and display are striking enough that the consumer will stop and spend some time with it. So we're using the retail floor to acquaint consumers with the product, as well as selling them on the idea of wanting to buy it," says Mitchell. Advertising also is vital to the campaign. "Because the character has no awareness among children in the U.S., we needed to pitch it to mothers as quality entertainment," says Mitchell. The company targeted a demographic of women ages 25-49, running its "Totoro" TV commercial during the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," and afternoon soap operas, and on the Fox network and Nick At Nite. Fox also is looking into syndicated shows and cable channels that target women, such as Lifetime. The company calculates that 75% of women age 25-49 will see the spot an average of four times during the campaign. The commercial, Mitchell says, "shows off the best elements of the film, how visually beautiful it is, quotes from the reviews, and hits home that it's available for $19.98 with a free plush toy." Fox also ran a consumer print ad in Ladies Home Journal and trade advertising in Billboard and video publications. The title initially shipped 600,000 copies, says FoxVideo senior marketing VP Bruce Pfander. Fox declined to give sales figures, but Mitchell says that sales to date have been "comparable with 'The Sandlot,'" a Fox title that was released April 5 and has sold more than 700,000 units. "Totoro" debuts this week on the Top Kid Video chart at No. 23. At the Minneapolis-based Suncoast Motion Picture Corp. chain, Archie Beneke, managing director of marketing, says, "It's been extremely successful for us. We did a special promotion in which we brought it up at the store front, played the video in-store, and specially priced it at $16.99, and it sold quite a few units." He adds, "The television advertising was very important; people were coming in and recognizing the title." Tom Foltz, director of movie management at the Philadelphia-based West Coast Video chain, says, "It's been doing splendidly for rental, and now sales are starting. The advertising campaign has brought some awareness, but at store level many consumers want to test it first. Sales are starting now, but we find they're primarily based on satisfaction at the rental level." The film was created by Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's leading animation director. "In the pantheon of Japanese animation, he's considered to be the equal of Disney," says Robert Woodhead, CEO of AnimEigo, a U.S. video company specializing in Japanese animation. "He's just brilliant. More than any living animator, he has the ability to capture the wonder and magic of being a child, and put it on the screen in a way that's entertaining to kids and adults alike, which is the secret to a great animated film." Unlike many children's titles which are fast-moving and action- packed, "Totoro" is a gentle, dreamy film combining realism with fantasy. Two little sisters move to a new house with their father while their mother is in the hospital. There they befriend three magical creatures called Totoros. The main Totoro, a huge, loveable creature, takes the kids on adventures, including a ride in a living bus shaped liked a cat. There is no violence and no villainy--just a sweet story of close family relationships and fantasy adventures. The film's dramatic tension comes from the children's fear that their mother will not get well, and a suspenseful scene in which the younger girl gets lost. The realistic depiction of a family dealing with a mother's illness is compelling to adults, Woodhead says. Contacted at his studio in the Tokyo suburb of Koganei, Miyazaki told Billboard, "I just wanted to make a film with scenes that were familiar to me--scenes I've known since I was a kid . . . I watch things in daily life, and when I get home I try to draw what I've seen." The animation style is also notable, with soft colors and interplay between light and shadow. The movement is strikingly natural: The children are full of energy, turning cartwheels, balancing on their knees, running and tripping and picking themselves up. The scenery and interiors display an almost photographic realism. "Miyazaki is famous for his beautiful, true backgrounds and settings," says John Johnson, motion picture representative for Tokuma Publishing, which produced the film. "One of his main goals is to recreate the small details of life, especially children: the way they move, how they play, what they're interested in." "Totoro" also was dubbed for theatrical release in France and Germany, and FoxVideo is formulating plans for video release overseas. "We hope to release [the video] in select European countries," says FoxVideo VP of international Neil McDermott. "We're clarifying the right situation right now." If "Totoro" does well, another company that stands to benefit is Streamline Pictures, a U.S. video label which released another Miyazaki film, "Cagliostro's Castle," in the U.S. in 1992. Streamline is finalizing a distribution deal with Orion Home Video that would see Streamline's titles, including "Cagliostro's Castle," re-released with wider distribution and a greater promotional push. Meanwhile, FoxVideo is considering the possibility of acquiring "Kiki's Delivery Service," a Miyazaki film about a 13-year-old witch who gets a job making deliveries for a bakery on her flying broomstick. ##### WRITTEN BY: ? FIRST PUBLISHED IN: CINEMAN VIDEO REVIEWS, March 11, 1996; Home Video Report section FIRST POSTED TO BY: Steven Feldman, June 18, 1996 "MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO" [author not identified] RATING/DESC: (Not Rated) Deep inside a tree trunk, two children discover a fascinating new world inhabited by Tororos--charming creatures who become their friends. Some are big, some are small, but all of them are furry, loveable, and ready to do wondrous magical things. They lead the children on a grand adventure in their homeland. ##### -- end of file --