MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO

Semiotic Analysis

“My Neighbor Totoro”
Hayao Miazaki

In this essay there will be a semiotic analysis of a five and a half minute section of the Japanese animated feature film ‘My Neighbor Totoro’. The film is directed by master animator, Hayao Miazaki whose film ‘Spirited Away’ won the Academy award for animation in 2003. My Neighbor Totoro is not well known or readily available in Australia although it is a classic in Japan. The film is in Japanese language with English sub-titles. The film utilizes the traditional techniques of 2D animation. In this style of animation all the characters or elements that need to drawn repeatedly have an outline and are filled with a solid colour within the outlines. The backgrounds are hand painted to an almost photographic finish with a lot of detail. The film is richly colored and the animated movement has a naturalistic movement. The imagery is crisp and clear resulting in highly defined and identifiable characters, objects and environments. Miazaki achieves the illusion of depth and space within this text through the use of perspective and visual depth cues.

In the text there are a number of dominant codes. Codes are made up of a series of signs, either visual or audible that combine to establish a significant meaning or meanings. Signs are the smallest element of meaning within the text, and are comprised of a signifier and a signified. The signifier is the recognizable and understandable visual or audible element and the signified is the meaning that is implied by the signifier.

The dominant codes in the text My Neighbor Totoro are; a family code, a code for a warm night, a code for nature, growth and life, and a code for magic and fantasy.

The first key signifier in this film is the title “My Neighbor Totoro”. A neighborly relationship of some kind is signified, it indicates a proximity of main characters within a specific location, that of there homes. We can read that in some way this movie will be an exploration of the neighbor who is Totoro. In the context of a non Japanese audience the word Totoro has little to no literal meaning yet in Japan it is derived from a child’s mispronunciation of the word for Troll. In the context of Japan it would conjure up both the subjective associations of the magic world of Trolls and also of young children. Immediately a Japanese audience would have access to a possible meaning within the film. It could be understood that the title also signified the connection between the world of children and the magic and fantastic world of trolls.

In reading this text it becomes apparent that there is a dominant code that allows us to understand and experience meanings of family and we are able to place the characters into family groups and to understand there relationship to each other.
It is signified to us through the key signifier of a man preparing bedding for two young girls that refer to him as Dad that they are a family. We easily understand that he is the father and that they are his daughters.

Another key signifier is there size relationship to one another. We are able to establish the signified meaning of age and responsibility within the family from the signifier of the characters sizes and activities, The father is the largest character works in his office after the girls have fallen asleep and it is signified that he is the oldest and takes responsibility over his two daughters, Satsuki is the larger older daughter and it is signified that she has responsibilities over Mei who is the smallest and youngest daughter.

This size relationship extends to the non human characters, the Totoro’s who also appear as a family unit. There is a large Totoro, a small one and an even smaller one. The largest Totoro leads the two smaller ones in a prayer dance ritual and he is responsible for taking the others flying.

The sound of Satsuki and Mei laughing and playing is a sign within the code of the family. Joy, happiness and fun within the family home is signified by the laughing which is the signifier. Another key sign is the Japanese style house which they inhabit. The house is the signifier, the family home, safety, security, familiarity and comfort is signified.

Another important code system allows us to establish a clear understanding within the text of a warm night. The first sign for this is an ornate electric light that is suspended within the house, small insects fly around it. We are able to read from this that it is night time, and that it is warm enough to support insect life. The insects further reinforce that it is night as they are only attracted to lights at night, not during the day.

Other signs that it is a warm night include that the children are in light bed clothes and have light bedding. They are not fully under the covers which further indicate that it is a warm night. The father says “night night” to his daughters as he turns out the light.

Another key signifier is the colour palette used, which has been reduced to mainly blues with a reduced tonal contrast. Other important signs are the starry night sky and the full moon. Strong sound effects of insects and frogs add to our sense of meaning that it is a warm night.

There is a dominant code of nature, growth and life within this text. From the first scene we are confronted with the sign of mosquitoes inside the house. Another sign is the very obvious nature sound effects of insects and frogs. The family home is set within a lush rural environment with forests in the backgrounds. The starry night sky indicates a lack of both smog and light pollution.

There is a significant sign in the dialogue from the youngest daughter Mei, with the signifier being “that’s where we planted the seeds”. Seeds are a metonym for plants and a metaphor for the potential natural growth of all living things. In this context it also signified the natural growth of the two daughters.

There is a climatic point in this text when the seedlings sprout magically from the soil of the garden bed and grow into a forest and then join together into an impossibly giant tree that stretches high above the family home. This growth process is a metaphor for life itself and the growth of all living things. There are connotations to the mystic nature traditions that use imagery of a “world tree”, or the “tree of Life”

Fantasy and magic is one of the most important dominant codes within the text. The first key signs we see in regards to magic and fantasy is when the two daughters awake to see three non human beings, the Totoros, slowly marching around there garden bed a rhythmical, ritualistic way. There is a large Totoro followed by two smaller ones. The large Totoro is carrying an open umbrella which adds to the fantastical nature of the scene, the two smaller Totoros carry large leaves resembling the umbrella. Twice the Totoros fly over the garden bed to the other side where they continue there March. The Girls leave the safety of there beds and excitedly rush to join the Totoros. All five characters stop and begin to bow to the garden followed by raising there hands up above there heads.
There is a brief moment where there is a close up of the large Totoro, beads of sweat on his brow as he pushes his arms upwards; this is a metonym for the internal effort that he is using in this activity. As he does this a seedling bursts from the ground with a significant popping sound effect. The characters continue this activity and many seedlings sprout and grow. They keep growing rapidly into large trees which join together and magically grow into a giant tree. This magical growing tree reminds us of such classic fairytales as ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, and the ‘Magic Far Away Tree’

Other signs that enable us to understand meanings of magic and fantasy is The large Totoro’s levitating spinning top, on which the large Totoro balances. The others cling to his furry belly and fly up through the tree and over the landscape. Flying on a humming spinning top with imaginary creatures is the signifier and magic and fantasy is what is signified.

Through a semiotic reading of My Neighbor Totoro, it is possible to establish understandings and meanings within the text, and to determine that it is of a fantasy genre for family entertainment alongside other animated features such as “Alice in Wonderland” by Walt Disney.