My Neighbor Totoro
- Grades: 6 to 8
- Common Sense Media: parents say 4+, kids say 4+
- CS strength: 1 out of 5
- SEL strength: 4 out of 5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94% critics, 98% audience
What happens
Two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, move to the countryside with their father to be closer to their mother, who is sick in the hospital. In the woods near their new house they meet gentle forest spirits, including the huge, fuzzy Totoro. The film is quiet and slow, and a lot of it is about how the girls handle worry and fear.
Why we watch it
This is a calm movie that holds a room without anyone running it. It shows kindness without being asked, curiosity about someone who is different, and a brave kid carrying more than she lets on. The worksheet is about character and feelings, with no computer science.
Standards alignment
Answer key and teacher notes
- B Why are Satsuki and Mei moving to a new house in the countryside?
- C What unusual form of transportation appears at the bus stop?
- B How does Mei first discover Totoro?
- C When Totoro seems confused by the umbrella, Satsuki smiles and shows him how it works. What does this tell us about her?
- C At the end of the movie, Totoro and the Catbus help Satsuki find Mei quietly, without asking for anything in return. What does this suggest about what it means to help someone?