I didn't like Totoro that much, either (except for the catbus, of course). Haven't seen anything else by Miyazaki, although one of these days I'll get around to it ...
Hm, I don't think it was a fansubbing service. I think my friend belonged to an anime club at Berkeley, and one of his friends in the club translated it for him. That was back in the days before DVDs (ugh, how badly am I dating myself?).
I didn't think WV was exactly an anime hot spot, but from the way you phrased your question, I thought you had seen it on vacation.
So I take it you liked Whispers of the Heart? My friend didn't care much for it. And we both like "quiet" movies like Remains of the Day, so I didn't bother to hunt up Whispers.