10 Dark Theories About Family Movies That Actually Make Sense

The whimsical and enchanting tale that is My Neighbour Totoro is one of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s best loved movies, but theories persist that there’s a much darker undercurrent running beneath the critically acclaimed animation.

The theory goes that friendly wood spirit Totoro is actually a shinigami or god of death and only visible to those who are dead or on the verge of death. Apparently, younger sister Mei dies after sneaking off to visit her mother in hospital and when her sister Satsuki enlists the help of the Japanese grim reaper - we mean, Totoro – to find her, she climbs aboard the Catbus (whose destination translates to ‘Path to the Grave’, funnily enough) and too meets her maker.

If you think that’s bleak, it’s about to get a lot more gut-punching. Legend has it that the inspiration behind the story is tragic real-life event known as the Sayama Incident in which a schoolgirl was abducted, raped and murdered in May 1963 in the city of Sayama. Her sister, who desperately searched for her lost sibling was so distraught over her murder that she committed suicide.

The evidence? Though we’re never told explicitly where in Japan the animation is set, there are a few clues that suggest it’s the same area that the 1963 murder took place – namely a box of tea with ‘Sayama’ on it – and that the sisters’ names, Satsuki (which translates to May from Japanese) and Mei (the English pronunciation of May), link to the month of the murder.

Depressing, right?