009: Studio Ghibli 1: My Neighbor Totoro
I don't know if there's much to say about My Neighbor Totoro. It was my first Ghibli but it's not my favorite - that probably goes to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Porco Rosso, or The Cat Returns. But it is lovely in its own way, certainly visually a delight, and filled with a sort of nostalgic sweetness only a Ghibli movie can provide. Besides, who hasn't always wanted a Catbus?
But Kotaku had me thinking about a concept I really want to explore in things beyond Totoro: the role of fans in understanding a work, and how fiction can go far beyond what the authors intend in people's minds and hearts.
Because it's fairly clear to me that Totoro was never intended to be ominous, to be about death and loss - Ghibli has tackled those topics elsewhere, and those works have a totally different feel from Totoro. It's not that Ghibli isn't capable of taking on serious topics - it's honestly that they didn't want that for Totoro. But people have insisted that that is what they see when Mei gets lost and when Mei and Satsuki visit their mother, and this concept has taken a life of its own.
If interpreting works is purely about author intent, then we would ignore this entirely. But viewer reaction - fan reaction, the interpretations of those who love the work and analyze it deeply purely for pleasure - is so important. This is especially true now that the boundary between fan and creator is so thin, but even in Totoro's day it was important. Without this "misinterpretation", Totoro may merely be seen as a particularly beautiful and innocent children's film; with it, it has importance and urgency to everyone, even those who don't believe.
This post was originally posted at Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you prefer.
But Kotaku had me thinking about a concept I really want to explore in things beyond Totoro: the role of fans in understanding a work, and how fiction can go far beyond what the authors intend in people's minds and hearts.
Because it's fairly clear to me that Totoro was never intended to be ominous, to be about death and loss - Ghibli has tackled those topics elsewhere, and those works have a totally different feel from Totoro. It's not that Ghibli isn't capable of taking on serious topics - it's honestly that they didn't want that for Totoro. But people have insisted that that is what they see when Mei gets lost and when Mei and Satsuki visit their mother, and this concept has taken a life of its own.
If interpreting works is purely about author intent, then we would ignore this entirely. But viewer reaction - fan reaction, the interpretations of those who love the work and analyze it deeply purely for pleasure - is so important. This is especially true now that the boundary between fan and creator is so thin, but even in Totoro's day it was important. Without this "misinterpretation", Totoro may merely be seen as a particularly beautiful and innocent children's film; with it, it has importance and urgency to everyone, even those who don't believe.
This post was originally posted at Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you prefer.