Studio Ghibli films: An indispensable guide
Embark on a magical journey through the enchanting world of Studio Ghibli. This indispensable guide illuminates the intricate details, profound themes, and artistic mastery that make these films a cornerstone of animation. Prepare to be captivated by the genius of Hayao Miyazaki and his team.
Studio Ghibli is being made available on a streaming service
The studio’s output will be available on Netflix beginning with 21 of the movies in batches from 1 February
- Spirited Away (2001) won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 2001 Academy Awards
- Pom Poko (1994) has a strong environmental message
- Porco Rosso (1992) is an Italian World War One flying ace transformed by a curse into a humanoid pig, now working as a bounty hunter battling sky pirates over the Adriatic
- If you want to feel unalloyed joy…
- Then you need My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
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If you want to guarantee your kids ask you for a goldfish
Ponyo (2008)
- A girl named Ponyo is the pet of a boy called Sōsuke, but in reality she is one of many shape-shifting siblings who live in an underwater community off Japan’s coast
- Her father fears she has been kidnapped, and launches an assault on the human world to get her back
- The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
- A crime caper that was Miyazaki’s directorial debut
Grave of the Fireflies
One of the earlier Ghibli features, released in 1988, tells the story of Seita and his younger sister Setsuko, who are fighting to survive in Japan during the final days of World War Two.
- If you want contemporary drama, you are well served with several movies
- Whisper of the Heart (1995) is a coming-of-age story about a bookish girl, Shizuku, who finds that all the books she borrows from the library have been checked out by the same boy, and resolves to find him
- Only Yesterday is a gentle slow-burner about a 27-year-old woman looking back on her life and the choices she’s made
- Adaptations of much-loved books
- The Tale of Princess Kaguya (1997) is set in feudal feudal Japan where a young prince is caught up in a conflict between the ecologically-rapacious denizens of an industrial town intent on clearing a huge forest to mine for iron, and the diverse spirits who live in the threatened woods
- Princess Mononoke is a fantasy with a strong environmental message
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (2003) celebrates the joyous celebration of girls doing it for themselves
- When Marnie Was There (2014) is based on Joan G Robinson’s 1967 novel
If you want to watch the films chronologically…
Start with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the film Miyazaki made and released in 1984
- It takes place in a post-apocalyptic future with gigantic marauding insects
- Ghibli’s only proper biopic is The Wind Rises, released in 2013
- Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the infamous Mitsubishi Zero that formed the basis of Japan’s aerial might in World War Two
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