The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). π€ βThe Procession of Celestial Beings Iβ by Joe Hisaishi is such an ethereal piece of music.
Pom Poko is literally the only one that didnβt put me to sleep in the first act.
this post was submitted on 17 May 2025
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The Tale of Princess Kaguya is also my favorite! I especially love its painted watercolor art style. Made me cry a lot too π
Probably Spirited away then there is Grave of the fireflies. That one though is something I can only watch once.
Still Totoro for me
My Neighbors the Yamadas
It's cute, hilarious, and uplifting.
I'd have to flip a coin between Porcco Rosso and Naussica
This is like asking what is the best or favourite South Park episode. I can't think of a favourite studio Ghibli movie. But for me, probably the closest to my number 1 spot is "When Marnie was there." I am not sure why, but the movie pulls a heart string for me and it feels more personal. Speaking of the movie, I can't believe that the movie is 10 years old this year! I remember watching it for the first time in my local independent theatre!
Porcco Rosso. I can literally watch that movie on repeat.
Grave of the fireflies. I've only watched it once but out of all movies i've ever watched, it's the one that made me the most emotional. Incredibly powerful.
I've only seen one so far (twice) - My Neighbour Totoro, so it'll have to be that one for now.
I'm one of the people that don't get the appeal. I've watched a few highly praised ones and found them to be incredibly boring.
I'm a big fan of a few of Ghibli's films but I feel the same way about others. The whimsical and somewhat metaphorical quality of most of them can really lessen their emotional impact imo.
If you're ever interested in trying an animated Japanese film from another studio and writer, I can highly recommend Your Name.
Sure, I'm always up for new stuff. Will give it a try!
They tend to have a lot of depth and character, and they don't follow the same plot or set of acts so it sets them apart from DreamWorks/Pixar movies in the west. Unless you hate the art style entirely theres a good chance theres a few movies you will like.
Yeah that's the same I keep hearing from everyone who likes the movies, and I've heard/read lengthy explanations of a few of them, and was pushed to rewatch a couple with various groups or individuals. Most often I think that movie with the dirty river god in some bath house, forgot what it's called.
I believe I must have watched 5 or 6, most of which more than once, and it's seriously not my cup of tea.
What sorts of movies do you like?
I got a rather broad taste, from fantasy/sci-fi over crime/thriller/action to dramas and even the odd romance. My favorite animated movie (it that's what you're trying to figure out) would probably be some Disney classics like Lion King or Jungle Book.
- Only Yesterday - Probably my favorite movie ever. It's so authentic and personal and real.
- Spirited Away - Really emotional and dramatic and surprisingly NOT overrated at all.
- The Wind Rises - Feels very personal while also feeling broad and important.
- From Up on Poppy Hill - I love complicated family situations, and I like the aesthetics and music.
- The Secret World of Arrietty - The philosophy of the characters in this one is actually really interesting.
Favorite is not the right word.
I think there are different Ghibli movies for different questions.
Which is the most rewatched in my home? Probably Porco Rosso since itβs light-hearted and easy to consume. Miyazakiβs Magnum Opus? Mononoke or Nausicaa. Best to watch with your kids? Totoro, Kiki, and Ponyo. Most emotionally impactful? Grave of the Fireflies.
βFavoriteβ though? No idea. Depends on how Iβm feeling.
I agree with all this. I also have a soft spot for The Cat Returns because that was the first one I saw, lol
It's probably too basic, but Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke have always been my favorites, the latter of which was where I started.
These two plus Tonari no Totoro for me (My Neighbor Totoro). I guess it would be Totoro if I had to choose just one but hard to say.
Mononoke is probably the "best" in my book but my personal favorite will always be Nausicaa. Although I just found out it predates the founding of studio Ghibli by one year.
Little personal story: As a kid, I repeatedly rented an animated movie called Warriors of the Wind from my local videostore. It was fairly short and the story was confusing as if there was something missing, but I loved it regardless. One day, the videostore didn't have it anymore since they got rid of older VHS in favour of newer ones. I was heartbroken and didn't managed to track it down (this was way before the internet).
Fast forward about 15 years, when I had already watched Princess Mononoke and wanted to watch other movies by that studio. So I watched Nausicaa, and the longer it ran, the more I realized it was that movie from my childhood.
Turns out that a US studio had gotten the rights in the 80s and cut 23 minutes of the run time to make the story simpler, even changing names completely (Nausicaa became princess Sandra for example). This was the version I saw as a kid.
Nausicaa is my favorite, too. The hand-drawn animation is incredible, the conflict is nuanced, the setting is beautiful, and the characters have interesting motivations. Its a masterpiece.
a fellow Nausicaa appreciator! It's hard to find people that have even seen it tbh.
Have you read the Nausicaa manga? It's really good.
The only problem with reading the Manga is that after you finish it, the film seems so simplistic and flat in comparison. The Manga has so much greater nuance, tragedy, and depth to it.
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Castle in the sky is my all time favourite! The music and theme hits all the right boxes for me.
I adore Porco Rosso for its gentle simplicity.
When Marnie Was There... hit me in the emotions in a way that I was not prepared for, and I love it for that.
Porco Rosso is also really funny!
Absolute favourite:
Kiki's Delivery Service. Character and story that I relate with most of our of all of the movies. I wish I'd watched it when I was a kid.
Other favourites:
- NausicaΓ€ of the Valley of the Wind
- Pom Poko
- Whisper of the Heart
- Howl's Moving Castle
- The Tale of Princess Kaguya
- When Marnie Was There
Almost favourites:
- Princess Mononoke (I don't like Ashitaka that much by the end)
- Spirited Away (only because this is the only Ghibli that I ever came across in the wild before watching all of them, I'm over exposed to it)
- Earwig and the Witch (love the concept and general story, not a fan of the animation style and a lot of specifics)
Huge fan of Princess Mononoke.
Not sure what exactly it is, but the characters and setting have just stuck with me since the first time I saw it.
Love the themes of environmentalism and societal diversity in Princess Mononoke.
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Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro
Porco Rosso
Spirited Away
Ponyo
Spirited Away is my favorite with Ponyo close behind. Mononoke is what got me started and is probably the best one, but the other 2 just hit differently.
Nausciaa, but they're all magical.
Out of the ones I've seen, The Cat Returns. It's not the most cinematic, amazing, fantastical movie like Spirited Away, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, etcetera, but it's one I really like regardless.
Though, if we're talking about the opposite, Earwig and the Witch is at the very bottom.
I like Only Yesterday. There's just something appealing about getting away from a stifling job in the city and just going out to live in the country for fun, even if just for a week.
Only Yesterday is my favorite by far. If Grave of the Fireflies didn't have the supernatural/Deus-ex-machina/genre whiplash scenes at the end, it would've been my favorite, but that ending ruins the movie for me.
Only recently, I watched The Wind Rises and I loved it. I do not know what it is. It still has the sensitivity and the aesthetics of Ghibli under Miyazaki, which I genuinely love, but at the same time shows a confusing and unobvious real-life story, and very real dilemmas.
Spirited Away, Howls Moving Castle, and My Totro.
Skipping the ones I did not mark 10/10 with a star:
- 1986 Laputa: Castle in the Sky - 10/10 β
- 1988 My Neighbor Totoro - 10/10 β
- 1989 Kikiβs Delivery Service - 10/10 β
- 1997 Princess Mononoke - 10/10 β
- 2001 Spirited Away - 10/10 β
- 2002 The Cat Returns - 10/10 β
- 2004 Howlβs Moving Castle - 10/10 β
- 2006 Tales from Earthsea - 10/10 β
- 2010 The Secret World of Arrietty - 10/10 β
- 2011 From Up On Poppy Hill 10/10 β
- 2014 When Marnie Was There 10/10 β
I rated these in 2022. I thought I didn't enjoy Princess Mononoke like I did long before. Either way, baffling how many Studio Ghibli films are great or exceptional.
I think Princess Mononoke was my entry point into anime (other than weekly series on TV). I still have the German DVD.
Ponyo or Pom Poko. Maybe Spirited Away? It's hard to pick... good question OP.
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