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 - Don't replace your old VHS with this Disney version...Let me start by saying my family loves this movie and our original VHS is very worn out. I was hoping to replace the tape with the Disney DVD release. I was so disappointed. They changed Satsuki's name - and pronounce it Satski - yuck!! They added unnecessary dialogue - one of the things I love about the original is that it doesn't try to explain everything, it makes you think. If you are trying to replace your old VHS - this is not the one to buy. It's probably fine, for anyone who hasn't seen the original...My Neighbor Totoro Rating: - Not the Disney ReleaseWe have the VHS version and have almost wore it out watching it ourselves and with the our 2 kids. We purchased the Disney release of the 2 disk set as a replacement. It has lots of extras, but what happened to the original English voice-overs? We were very disappointed that Disney choose to change the voice-overs from that were on the VHS. The actors voices have little emotion and do not fit the character's action well. At some points is sounds like they are just reading dialog. We still watch our old wore out 20th Century Fox VHS version and put the Disney version away. I give the story and animation 5 stars as well as the 20th Century Fox version. But the Disney version only gets 2 stars. Rating:  - Cute and Cuddly Miyazaki GoodnessMiyazaki has proven time and time again that he is, and probably always will be, the greatest animator ever to live. No animator, not even the "great" Walt Disney, can boast such a massive amount of utterly amazing work. From Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind to Spirited Away, Miyazaki's movies have transcended time to become some of the best works of art ever conceived. No one knows how to tell a story quite like Miyazaki, and he proves it with every movie he makes. My Neighbor Totoro is just further proof of this mans guineas. Take the characters from Grave of the Fireflies (Collector's Edition), make them both girls, and place them in a fun, fantasy movie and this is what you get. Totoro is pretty much a lighthearted, fun, and magical Grave of the Fireflies (both movies were made at the same time). The characters are so much alike it's stunning. This is just one of those movies that almost anyone and everyone can enjoy, from a four year old kid to a ninety year old grandma. There's nothing not to like about this movie, it's just too cute to hate. This movie could melt any heart of stone, and send even the most cynical of us into fits of laughter. See this movie, I promise you won't regret it. Re-watch value; very high. Rating: - DelightfulI was surprised that Disney would produce another English translation since one had been done earlier by 20th Century. However, Disney's translation is a little better versed and the sound has a better quality. For those who have not seen Totoro, this is a must-have video for anyone interested in animated stories. After The Castle of Cagliostro, this is Hayao Miyazaki's greatest work. It is pitched for the delight of smaller children, but it easily captures the imagination of an adult. All of Disney's Studio Ghibli translations are worth owning. However, if I had to make a choice, I would chose Totoro over all the others. Rating:  - Not a version I could recommendI'm afraid I could never recommend the Disney release of this film. After seeing an earlier release before the girls' parts were rendered by the Fanning sisters, my wife and I found _their_ rendering VERY disappointing. I'm afraid we both believe the characters were not at all captured well and the Fannings' rendering simply ruined Totoro for us. Fortunately, although I had already given away an earlier copy, I was able to find another through Amazon's third party offerings. If you can obtain the older version: DO SO!!!
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