My favourites: Whisper of the Heart because the characters are believable, interesting and so very normal. Also, Kiki’s Delivery Service because Kiki has such a positive character. My better half likes Howl best.
It’s great to see computer aided animation that uses so much hand drawn artwork. The quality of animation of all the Ghibli films I’ve watched has been simply stunning. It is the little finishing touches that make them a work of art. For example, in Howl’s Moving Castle, look for the water reflections. Did they worry about the cost of adding them? – Maybe, but in the end, it made all the difference.
The Japanese have proved that “cartoons” appeal to adults just as much as films. Sadly, US animation relies heavily on dumbing things down with stupid, talkative and annoying characters to keep interest. I believe this is why adults “grow out” of cartoons as they start to feel a bit too silly, even with adult references or subjects thrown in – almost as if to pretend to care.
The screen, screenplay and audio techniques employed in Ghibli films are every bit as complex as any real film – yet all seem destined to be stuck on shelves next to all those cheap and nasty battle-based collectibles crap. Disney sheep-fest CGI material takes centre stage which all boils down to a lack of creative marketing and preying on target audiences. Pixar will no doubt keep pandering to young kids with attention issues and parents with deep pockets for many years. The population is getting older, so there’s a golden (no pun intended) opportunity for someone to deliver more intelligent animation.
Miyazaki understood that the storyline and strong/subtle characters are the real reason you watch a film to the bitter end. There are some cultural images which are a bit odd to the west but usually the translations and a open minded audience take care of those. unsurprisingly, Grave of the Fireflies was not part of the Disney deal – If you’ve seen it, that won’t be a surprise as the themes raise too many awkward questions from the little ones.
Remember that Studio Ghibli has been around for ages. Ironically, the Disney/Pixar transfer deal maybe the real reason they’ve been discovered by the US – and here too. Apparently, the R2 version of Only Yesterday (Omohide Poro Poro) is out on DVD this Sept.
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These movies are some of my favourites – Princess Mononoke is my favourite.
Here is my list of favourite Studio Ghibli movies:
1. Princess Mononoke – Man against nature, beautiful and haunting in every respect.
2. Nausica and the vally of wind – (for the guy who was asking) – It is a much earlier movie, 1980′s – but it is truly amazing – both the story and the art. I recommend buying from ebay!
3. Castle in the sky – again, amazing visuals and story.
4. Spirited Away – you know.
5. Porcco Rosso – Brilliant! Pigs can fly!
6. My Neighbour Totolo – Amazing – no violence or gore, just excellent story telling.
7. (forgot the name – a one about Tanuki dogs in Japan) – very fun – similar theme as Princess Mononoke – man vs nature.
9. Sound of the ocean – (this one came out before ‘the cat returns’ and is better)
10. Howl’s moving castle – it’s the latest, but not the greatest – still better than what Disney has to offer!
I strongly suggest that you buy the DVD collection box on line! I have the box with 13 Studio Ghibli DVD movies – it’s great, just make sure that you have a region free DVD player – then you can buy the collection DVD box on line for round about 50-60quid!

Cool!!! I LOVE Totoro & Sprited away – Grave of the fireflies ALWAYS makes me cry & Howl’s moving castle is just awesome!!!