A Catbus to Somewhere: Where to Start, for Parents

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Where to Start
A guide for parents to Miyazaki's films
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Since I put this page up I've had a good many letters from parents asking the same question: my child loved Totoro, what next? Or: my daughter is nine, which one should we watch first? I'm an art teacher, not a pediatrician, and you know your own child far better than I do. But here is how I'd go, youngest to oldest. The ages are only my opinion, from a lot of years of watching young people watch these films.

One thing first: watch it with them, at least the first time. These aren't films to put on so you can do the dishes. They're slow in places, on purpose, and children will ask questions. That's the good part.

My Neighbor Totoro

3 and up

Start here. No villains, no violence, and nothing scarier than a dark house and a big friendly creature. Two things to know: the girls' mother is in the hospital, which may lead to questions if someone in your own family has been sick, and near the end the younger girl goes missing for a while, which upset my niece when she was four until I told her it would come out all right. It does. Easy to find at the video store, in English.

Kiki's Delivery Service

5 and up

Next. A young witch sets out on her own, finds work and friends, and gets discouraged. There's some danger at the end with an airship, exciting but not frightening for most children. It's a wonderful film for a child starting at a new school, or an older child getting ready to leave home. I know a few college freshmen who took it with them. The Disney tape is in English and easy to find.

Castle in the Sky

8 and up

For adventurers. Pirates, soldiers, chases, explosions and a giant robot, but hardly any blood, and the two children at the center are kind and brave. A good one for a child who wants action. Hard to find in this country for now; I hope that changes.

Nausicaä

10 and up

For thinkers. A war, a poisoned forest, enormous insects, and people dying in battle. It's not gory, but it is grim in places, and it asks a lot of a young viewer. A wonderful film to talk over with a ten- or twelve-year-old who's starting to care about the environment. Avoid the old cut-down American tape called Warriors of the Wind.

Porco Rosso

10 and up

For the grown-ups, mostly. Dogfights between seaplanes, lots of shooting with almost nobody hurt, a little smoking and drinking, and a hero who is sad about the past in ways a child won't quite follow. Younger children will enjoy the airplanes and the pig. You'll enjoy the rest. Not available in English here yet.

Princess Mononoke

teenagers

Not for little ones. I haven't seen it yet, so take this with a grain of salt, but everything I've read, including from people who love it, says it is violent: battles, wounds, blood, and some frightening images of a curse. It sounds like a serious and beautiful film for teenagers and adults. My own plan is to see it first and then decide whether to show parts of it to my seniors. If you have a younger child who loved Totoro, please don't take them on the strength of the name Miyazaki. I'll update this note after I've seen it.

Afterward, hand them a pencil. This is the art teacher in me. After a Miyazaki film, ask your child to draw one thing from it: a tree, a house, a bus, the sky. Don't help. Then ask them what they noticed. You'll be amazed how much they saw.

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Last updated September 25, 1999