My Neighbor Totoro is such a special movie. It's more than big furry fantasy creatures and happy children, although we love those things. It's the nuance of the world. When you watch this movie, you genuinely believe, if only for a moment, that there could be magic in the world... just like you did when you were a child. The ability to do that as a storyteller is a form of magic unto itself. Thankfully, Miyazaki's shared a little bit of his thoughts on how to perform this sort of wizardry. So, instead of just being entranced by another studio ghibli film, let's take a moment to learn from one.