Fox Home Video has announced that it will release a DVD version of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, My Neighbor Totoro, on December 3, 2002.  Totoro, which tells the charming story of two children who are forced to move to the country and live with their father when their Mother is hospitalized, is one of Miyazaki's most personal films, since it reflects his own experience growing up with a mother who was beset by serious health problems.  Originally produced in 1988, Totoro did receive a theatrical release in the U.S. and fared quite well in the home video market on VHS.  Fox plans to put out the original American dubbed version with no Japanese soundtrack, which is kind of a drag -- though the English dubbing was well done and Fox's suggested retail price of $14.98 for the DVD will make the film extremely affordable.

 

Currently Miyazaki's visibility in the U.S. is at a high point thanks to the theatrical release of Spirited Away (see 'Spirited Away Opening Tops Per-Theater Average'), and fans who see Miyazaki's latest anime magic should certainly be interested in his previous films.  Buena Vista, which is releasing Spirited Away, will obtain the rights to Totoro in 2004, which is the reason that Fox is putting out a quick and easy version of Totoro on DVD now.  Other Miyazaki films available in the U.S. include Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service from Buena Vista, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro from Manga Entertainment, as well as some episodes of the anime TV series Sherlock Hound distributed by Pioneer.