The Financial Times recognized the character's appeal, commenting Totoro "is more genuinely loved than Mickey Mouse could hope to be in his wildest—not nearly so beautifully illustrated—fantasies". From Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese: Akira Kurosawa once named his top 100 favourite films of all time". Following the request of the paper's authors, the species was named for the character because he "uses a many-legged animal as a vehicle, which according to the collectors resembles a velvet worm".

I have watched the film version of "My Neighbor Totoro" many times, and it is certainly a firm favourite of mine, although, I must admit, this time the film wins over the book. This was sweet as a novelisation of one of my favourite childhood movies but also fantastic as a middle grade novel in its own right. In Japan, My Neighbor Totoro initially sold 801,680 tickets and earned a distribution rental income of ¥588 million in 1988. Despite the highlights, Holden wrote "too much of the film, however, is taken up with stiff, mechanical chitchat".In 1989, Streamline Pictures produced an English-language dub for exclusive use on transpacific flights of Japan Airlines. Jim Hubbert's well-done translation job also manages to retain the lively, dreamlike, and splendidly nuanced qualities that the Japanese version has. In 1989, US-based company Streamline Pictures produced an exclusive English language dub of My Neighbor Totoro for use as an in-flight movie on Japan Airlines flights. At first I sas afraid that this book might be too much of a childrens book but I got so emerged in it even at 20 years of age myself. Empire also commented on Totoro's appeal, ranking him at number 18 on a list of the greatest animated characters of all time.

This is a wonderful story, which everyone should indulge in, and of you haven't seen the film, then you're definitely missing out on a treat. The music for My Neighbor Totoro was composed by Joe Hisaishi, who previously collaborated with Miyazaki on the movies Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky. Oga and Miyazaki debated the film's color palette; Oga wanted to paint black soil from Akita Prefecture and Miyazaki preferred the color of red soil from Kantō region. It is also rich with human comedy in the way it observes the two remarkably convincing, lifelike little girls. There were some differences with the movie, but this book offered more info about the characters, which I really liked.It was adapted by British playwright Tom Morton-Smith and directed by Improbable's Phelim McDermott. The series was licensed for English-language release in North America by Viz Media, which released the books from November 10, 2004, through February 15, 2005.