Of Sam’s small repertoire of films he’s allowed to watch, there are two that stand out for me. Both of them are created by Hayao Miyazaki, one of my husband’s all-time favorite writer/director/artists. Of Miyazaki’s vast collection, two are particularly appropriate and wonderful for younger children, and it is these two movies that were the first films that Sam ever saw.

My Neighbor Totoro is my personal favorite. It’s the story of two girls whose family moves to a new house in order to be closer to their mother who is in the hospital. This is not done in the typical mother-is-inexplicably-absent sort of way. On the contrary, it is the mother’s illness that is the catalyst for the rest of the story as the two girls experience a world of imaginary spirits and creatures (all friendly) as they cope with their mom’s illness. Some of the themes I particularly appreciate about this movie include a reverence for nature, a lovely depiction of Japanese culture, and a family that works together, communicates, and finds joy in the face of hardship. It also deals with the mother’s sickness in a non-scary but realistic way, as the girls are frustrated and worried about her on a regular basis, but when they see her she is happy and well.

Kiki’s Delivery Service comes in close second and indeed may be number one in the eyes of Sam. Kiki, a young witch (voice of Kirsten Dunst), and her black cat, Gigi, are out on their own as Kiki begins her independent life in the big city. While she finds her new-found freedom challenging at times, the charm of this movie comes in the characters she meets who, on many occasions, show her true kindness. Kiki herself is also a multi-faceted, down-to-earth girl on a broomstick who is fun and lovable.

Both movies are nothing short of wholesome, in the best possible sense; there are no scenes I feel I need to skip over because they are scary or just plain inappropriate. The heroines in each set great examples with their independence, generosity, and resourcefulness when dealing with practical challenges - Satsuki (from Totoro) works to take care of her family and Kiki manages her own self-employed business while living off a tight budget.

As I type this post, my husband is out with Sam seeing Miyazaki’s newest creation, “Ponyo,” which opened this weekend. I’ll freely admit that I am sad that I could not attend, especially after witnessing the trailer below. But we ultimately decided Robby is not quite ready for the loud and overwhelming movie theater experience. I believe, however, that a third film is about to be added to that list of Miyazaki films that are great for younger children and that I will be linking to my husband’s positive review on his blog later this week.

If you haven’t already heard of the movie, I suggest you watch the trailer below, which had my family rapt in attention and wonder. We decided to show it to Sam to gauge his interest in seeing the film in the theater, and at the end I believe his exact words were, “Woooow . . .” If you are considering taking a young child to see it, however, I suggest you read this post, which summarizes the scarier bits and will allow you to prepare your child beforehand if you feel it is necessary (which we did), and this review, both from Double X.