Most critics respond warmly to My Neighbor Totoro, praising Miyazaki’s gentle treatment of childhood imagination, family affection and the natural world. The praise centres on the sisters’ behaviour, the forest spirits and the quiet, simply told encounters that allow wonder and anxiety to coexist. The hand-drawn design and carefully observed animation attract particular admiration, with several reviews finding emotional depth in a story that needs little plot and no elaborate conflict.
The reservations concern sweetness and technique, though they come from a small minority within a broadly enthusiastic consensus. The New York Times finds the family portrayal idealised and the dialogue stiff, while still enjoying the magical sequences. The Los Angeles Times admires the warmth and direction but describes the animation as jerky and limited. There is a clear disagreement over sentimentality: where the dissent finds sugar, several other reviews explicitly praise Miyazaki for avoiding it.