Susuwatari
Encyclopedia
Susuwatari are the "dust bunnies
" or "soot
sprite
s" that appear in two Studio Ghibli
anime
movies, My Neighbor Totoro
(1988
) and Spirited Away
(2001
). They are fictional, shy, slightly frightful creatures that live in abandoned buildings such as old houses.
, the house the main characters move into is full of Susuwatari, which are rationalized as Makkuro Kurosuke (pitch-black blackie), an optical illusion caused by moving quickly from light into darkness. Later, the family drives the Susuwatari out of the house, as the home that was once abandoned is now inhabited. They would move to another abandoned area.
as workers in Kamaji's boiler room. They are small, black as soot and apparently fuzzy, with spherical bodies and two inquisitive eyes. They move by hovering around, but they can extend stick-like legs and arms from their bodies to do certain tasks, and can lift objects many times their own weight. They make a squeaky murmuring sound when excited, and dissolve into powder (soot) if crushed.
The protagonist Sen (Chihiro) befriends a number of them by helping them carry coal
. Sen is told that if these Susuwatari aren't given a job to do, they turn back into soot. Another character, Lin, feeds the Susuwatari much like farmers feed chicken
s, throwing handfuls of the Japan
ese candy kompeitō
onto the ground for them to eat. After Sen is accepted among the staff of the bathhouse, chiefly by Kamaji and Lin, the Susuwatari become almost admiring of her, and help her in their small ways.
Dust bunny
Dust bunnies , also called dust mice, are small clumps of dust that form under furniture and in corners that are not cleaned regularly. They are made of hair, lint, dead skin, spider web, dust, and sometimes light rubbish and debris, and are held together by static electricity and felt-like...
" or "soot
Soot
Soot is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolyzed fuel particles such as cenospheres,...
sprite
Sprite (creature)
The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, and similar beings , but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books,...
s" that appear in two Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
movies, My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro
, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
(1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) and Spirited Away
Spirited Away
is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood and after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba,...
(2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
). They are fictional, shy, slightly frightful creatures that live in abandoned buildings such as old houses.
My Neighbor Totoro
In My Neighbor TotoroMy Neighbor Totoro
, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
, the house the main characters move into is full of Susuwatari, which are rationalized as Makkuro Kurosuke (pitch-black blackie), an optical illusion caused by moving quickly from light into darkness. Later, the family drives the Susuwatari out of the house, as the home that was once abandoned is now inhabited. They would move to another abandoned area.
Spirited Away
They later reappeared in Spirited AwaySpirited Away
is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film tells the story of Chihiro Ogino, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood and after her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba,...
as workers in Kamaji's boiler room. They are small, black as soot and apparently fuzzy, with spherical bodies and two inquisitive eyes. They move by hovering around, but they can extend stick-like legs and arms from their bodies to do certain tasks, and can lift objects many times their own weight. They make a squeaky murmuring sound when excited, and dissolve into powder (soot) if crushed.
The protagonist Sen (Chihiro) befriends a number of them by helping them carry coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
. Sen is told that if these Susuwatari aren't given a job to do, they turn back into soot. Another character, Lin, feeds the Susuwatari much like farmers feed chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s, throwing handfuls of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese candy kompeitō
Kompeito
Kompeito, also spelled as konpeito is a Japanese candy.-History:The word "konpeito" comes from the Portuguese word confeito, which means a sugar candy. This technique for producing candy was introduced to Japan in the early 16th century by Portuguese traders. The infrastructure and refining...
onto the ground for them to eat. After Sen is accepted among the staff of the bathhouse, chiefly by Kamaji and Lin, the Susuwatari become almost admiring of her, and help her in their small ways.