15 Sweet & Quirky Quotes from My Neighbor Totoro

“Do you like spirits, mommy? Even fuzzy ones?” - Mei Kusakabe

“To-to-ro? You're Totoro!... I bet you're Totoro...” - Mei Kusakabe

“That's wonderful. Good for you! I've always wanted to have a haunted house. It's been my lifelong dream!” - Tatsuo Kusakabe

“Trees and people used to be good friends. I saw that tree and decided to buy the house. Hope Mom likes it too.” - Tatsuo Kusakabe

“Well, ghosts are a lot harder to see. But when you suddenly move from a lighted room to a dark one, you can't see for a second, and that's when the dust bunnies come out.” - Tatsuo Kusakabe

“Can some ghosts live upstairs?” - Mei Kusakabe

“We thought you might not be too happy about the house being filled with spooks.” - Satsuki Kusakabe

“If we all keep smiling, the sprites may gradually go away and leave this place alone. Yes, I'm sure that somewhere up in that ceiling, they're busily discussing plans for leaving the house.” - Kanta's Grandmother

“Totoro, I beg you, please protect Mei. She'll be lost, and probably scared. Please believe me, I'll be good for the rest of my life if I can just see her again.” - Satsuki Kusakabe

“I also believe that you met the King of the Forest, Mei, and meeting him is a sign of good luck. But there's no guarantee that you'll see him all the time.” - Tatsuo Kusakabe

“I hate boys! But I love Nanny's food better than anything else in the whole wide world.” - Satsuki Kusakabe

“It isn't the end of the world. Your old Nanny's here to help. Let's see that beautiful smile.” - Kanta's Grandmother

“You'd better be careful after I get home, because I intend to spoil them rotten for a while.” - Yasuko Kusakabe

“Everybody, try laughing. Then whatever scares you will go away! ” - Tatsuo Kusakabe

“Well, I'm not sure, but I could've sworn that I saw both of the girls up in the treetop, laughing.” - Yasuko Kusakabe

The captivating magic of My Neighbor Totoro is perhaps the central theme of the entire film. But it would never work without the grounded, fleshed out characters who carry out the theme. Whether they speak or stay silent, their warmth permeates the movie with a gentle charm that never goes out of style.