Total Recall: The Best of Studio Ghibli
With The Secret World of Arrietty hitting theaters, we count down the best films from the visionary Japanese Animation studio.
Nicolas Cage and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance might be getting most of the press this week, but for animation lovers, it's no contest -- the biggest release of the week is The Secret World of Arrietty, Studio Ghibli's spin on the classic children's book The Borrowers. Stateside fans have been waiting for Arrietty to reach these shores since the movie came out in Japan way back in July of 2010, and to celebrate its arrival, we're taking a fond look back at every other Ghibli movie that's received an American release. Get ready for lots of strange creatures, magic spells, and mysterious journeys -- it's time for Total Recall!
Tales from Earthsea
42%
Following in a parent's footsteps is rarely easy -- and when you're a young filmmaker whose dad is the legendary Hiyao Miyazaki, joining the family business has to be particularly daunting. Credit for chutzpah, then, to Goro Miyazaki, who made his directorial debut at the helm of Tales from Earthsea, Ghibli's long-mooted adaptation of the Ursula K. Le Guin series of bestselling books. The elder Miyazaki reportedly expressed his misgivings about having his son take the reins of such a difficult project -- and his concerns were echoed by many of the critics who reviewed Earthsea, which ended up becoming the studio's worst-reviewed release. Still, it had plenty of defenders, including Film4's Daniel Etherington, who wrote, "Miyazaki Jr. has a long way to go before he can hold a candle to his father's work, but Tales From Earthsea still carries the Ghibli mark of quality."
My Neighbors the Yamadas
67%
A fairly thorough visual departure for director Isao Takahata -- not to mention Ghibli in general -- My Neighbors the Yamadas represented the studio's first foray into all-digital animation, albeit one that used the technology to obtain a flat drawing style and washed-out palette rather than 3D images and realistic textures. A series of vignettes depicting milestones in the life of a family, Yamadas may not be one of the better-known Ghibli releases, but it earned an Excellence Award from the Japan Media Arts Festival and impressed Tim Brayton of Antagony & Ecstasy, who wrote, "For all that they are cartoons, the Yamadas never court buffoonery... In fact, it's surprisingly observational, based in the way that people honestly act and feel."
Pom Poko
83%
An eco-friendly fable inspired by Japanese folklore about the raccoon dogs known as tanuki, 1994's Pom Poko topped Japan's box office in 1994, entrancing audiences with the moving tale of wildlife continually encroached upon by -- and eventually forced to fight against -- the constant threat of human development. Less overtly cartoonish (and, ultimately, more melancholy) than most Ghibli films, Poko impressed critics like MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher, who called it "Deeply affecting and visually mesmerizing" and "one of the best animated movies I've ever seen."
Howl's Moving Castle
86%
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to direct this adaptation of the Diana Wynne Jones novel, hewing loosely to the basic plot outline (about a teenage hatter whose friendship with a cursed wizard lands her in the center of a conflict between him and a vindictive witch) while adding some quintessentially Ghibli touches, such as feminist themes and a pacifist subplot. It all added up to an experience altogether different from the book, but that didn't deter filmgoers (who made it one of the most successful releases in Japanese history), Academy voters (who made it a Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee), or critics like Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle, who said it was "So richly detailed and colorful that one almost aches from the beauty."
Whisper of the Heart
89%
The sole directorial effort of Yoshifumi Kondo, who was being groomed to succeed Ghibli mainstays Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata when he passed away suddenly in 1998, Whisper of the Heart explores some of Miyazaki's favorite themes (which isn't surprising, since he wrote the script): independence, the end of childhood, fantasy, and young love. While lacking the gleefully childlike spirit of some of Ghibli's other films, Whisper captured the imagination of plenty of critics, including Tim Brayton of Antagony & Ecstasy, who called it "Perhaps the most unadulterated coming-of-age story in Ghibli's canon" and "a film of truly excellent observation."
My Neighbor Totoro
90%
A lasting cultural touchstone in Japan and a major launchpad for Miyazaki's worldwide success, My Neighbor Totoro wraps a heartfelt message about the value of rural living inside an irresistible fable about two girls (voiced in the Disney release by Dakota and Elle Fanning) whose fears for their ailing mother are soothed by a giant forest creature and his bizarre woodland companions (including a cat shaped like a bus -- or is it the other way around?). "What Miyazaki has animated," argued Eye for Film's Anton Bitel, "is an idyll, that most melancholic and nostalgic of genres, where landscapes vanish, innocence is lost and death is as much a part of nature as life."
Ponyo
92%
A stunning retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (and Miyazaki's most commercially successful American release), Ponyo may not have earned quite as much rapturous praise as some of his earlier efforts, but as many of this list's other entries prove, he'd already set the bar pretty high -- this film is a triumph that, in the words of Radio Times' Lucy Barrick, "is a million miles away from the garish and crude cartoons that American studios often churn out, and serves as a reminder that animated films can be imaginative, enchanting and exciting while still telling a sweet, good-hearted story."
Dave J. on 02-15-2012 03:53 PM
There's still some I haven't seen yet and may check them out whenever I have the time such as Porco Rosso, Grave Of The Fireflies and Whisper Of The Heart to name a few...
Troy K on 02-16-2012 08:25 AM
Please do and I suggest using the audience reviews instead of the critics reviews to influence your choices (much closer to reality). My love for Ghibli and the fact that today is my day off...I have redone the list according to audience reviews from high to low. I also included some "thought they were Ghiblis". My highest recommendation and my own personal favorite is Princess Mononoke. I already saw Arrietty last year and I am sorry to say that it belongs in the middle of this list somewhere, it almost felt incomplete to me. It is at least better than Ponyo if anyone else here was as disappointed as I was. The asterisks mark the movies I have seen (hard to believe that I still have not seen Fireflies).
1. Spirited Away*
2. My Neighbor Totoro*
3. Princess Mononoke*
4. Grave of the Fireflies
5. Howl's Moving Castle*
6. Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind*
7. Castle In The Sky*
8. Whisper Of The Heart*
9. Lupin The 3rd: The Castle Of Cagliostro
10. Only Yesterday
11. Kiki's Delivery Service*
12. Porco Rosso*
13. The Cat Returns*
14. Ponyo*
15. Pom Poko*
16. My Neighbors The Yamadas
17. Tales From Earthsea*
Zachary P on 02-16-2012 09:53 AM
I was more disappointed with Howl's Moving Castle, really. I lost track of what was going on halfway the first time, and even 4 views later the story is still clunky...
Jim L on 02-16-2012 09:14 PM
You had to have read the book by Diana Wynne Jones to really understand the story line. Every frame is important and if you miss one detail it can be easy to loose track of the movie. The movie makes some assumptions of previous knowledge.
Zachary P on 02-17-2012 12:45 PM
Well Jim, I don't exactly agree with that comment. A movie needs to hold-up separate from its source material, and Howl's Moving Castle would've been a failure if everything else weren't so strong about it. The story's just a mess, which is why it's only a borderline buy in my eyes...
Steven W on 02-17-2012 01:41 PM
The story is a very simple one. Power corrupts regardless of if it is used for good or bad. Howl is a good wizard but his power corrupts him despite him trying to do benevolent. The witch of the wastes is in the other direction, malevolent power corrupts as well. The war is a clear showing of the non magic power corrupting as well, it was only love that the corruption was turned back, but something pure and good.
David L on 02-17-2012 08:47 PM
The movie to easy to follow. The ending was disappointing. Nothing really happens.
Chelsea B on 02-18-2012 06:20 AM
The more I watch Howl's Moving Castle, the more I catch things that I hadn't before. That's one of the things I love about Japanese films-they're more complicated a lot of the time and allow you to think and put things together yourself. I find that very enjoyable.
Dave J. on 02-16-2012 11:56 AM
Although Miyazaki had been doing animation for awhile, I think the turning point was "My Neighbor Totoro" and it was that film that really solidified his name which changed the whole direction of how we look at animation, so for me it's "My Neighbor Totoro"! I'm not surprised about "Princess Mononoke" which even made it to Ebert's top ten movies of that year!
David L on 02-19-2012 10:20 AM
Totoro really? I personally feel it is lacking compared to most miyazakis movies.
Dave J. on 02-20-2012 01:01 PM
If I'm incorrect about this but as I recall Totoro was Miyazaki's first animation that Japanese audiences first took notice of him which was also his first major hit in his native Japan! If you have children or remember yourself as a child, the subtleness theme suggests that because children have the most vivid imagination than parents do that they would be able to see creatures parents cannot is a concept never shown before!
vinleetexe on 02-16-2012 03:36 PM
That depends... on some the japanese acting is better and then on some the english voice acting is better. for instance.. the japanese version of princess mononoke is way better than the english version, but the english version of Porco Rosso is better than the Japanese version.
Janson J. on 02-16-2012 04:04 PM
The magic of Michael Keaton!
Zachary P on 02-16-2012 06:43 PM
I still love Princess Mononoke's dub. It may not be fantastic by today's standards, but even in 1999 Disney gave a damn...
Sonshou S. on 02-16-2012 11:12 PM
The Japanese original audio and Japanese voice actors are always better than any English dub, just those ones who love the English language, waste their time considering those dubs.
Dave J. on 02-17-2012 02:19 PM
Sonshou S. By looking at the big spectrum of things, to have Miyazaki's "intended for children" cartoons dubbed is the only way 'non-speaking Japanese' children would be able to understand them since they're incapable to read as fast as their parents do. To have them dubbed is the only option until kids are older then if they like them that much then they could re-watch them in whatever format they want!
Josh W on 02-18-2012 03:53 AM
@Sonshou S Gotta disagree with you about the Japanese voice tracks. The early films like Nausicaa and Laputa are almost unbearable because of the incessant giggling, and the Japanese version Howl's Moving Castle was severely weakened because the voice acting for main character Sofi (a teenager who is turned into an old woman) is done by an elderly voice actor, making the "real" Sofi seem bizarre. The Disney treatments, on the other hand, are both true to script and well-acted.
Jon T on 02-18-2012 08:37 AM
@Josh W I did see Nausicaa and Laputa one time in Japanese, and I have to be honest: I prefer the Disney dubs for these two films. Why? Because they both have great voice actors and solid writing. It was particularly difficult for me to go back to the Japanese version of Laputa because of its superior remixed score and of course the performances, particularly Mark Hamill and Cloris Leachman's; those two were awesome and arguably made the dub even stronger. The cast was generally great as well. Even if the leads sounded more mature, it wasn't that big a deal and I thought both did fine jobs. I also liked most of the extra dialogue; I felt it really added to characters like the Dola gang. NAUSICAA was also fairly solid; Patrick Stewart was great, and while Alison Lohman was a little bit tentative at the start, she improved quickly. Shia LaBeouf was the only weak link of that dub, but not by much.
Mackensie D on 02-16-2012 06:18 PM
Spirited Away! OMG! first studio ghibli movie i ever saw, and i fell in love with it, and i now like ponyo, howl's moving castle, and im going to like the secret world of arrietty, and i still gotta lot to watch! :D
Jason K on 02-18-2012 08:08 AM
I agree, Princess Mononoke has always been my favorite. Castle in the Sky is second.
Carlos R. on 02-19-2012 09:26 PM
You SOO have to see Grave of the Fireflies. My goodness, the movie just kind of creeps up on you without your realizing that you've become so involved, and when it ends you're left struggling with so many emotions....One of the strongest movies of all time, be it animated or live-action.
Mia D on 02-20-2012 09:35 AM
I certainly agree with you! When I watched the movie for the first time, it felt like I had the weight of the world. The movie stays inside you for long, once you watch it, you can never forget it. I swear one of the best films of all time.
Ricardo S on 02-20-2012 12:15 PM
Even though Castle of Cagliostro, and Nausicaa were produced before Studio Ghibli was founded, I still consider them Ghibli films :P
But yeah I agree with you on Arrietty. They are by no means bad movies (excluding Earthsea) but in my opinion, so far every movie that's come after Howl's Moving Castle hasn't had the same "quality" I guess. Nor have they had the same affect of tugging at my heartstrings. :/
Hansen M on 02-20-2012 08:16 PM
I agree with most of your list (I can't believe they didn't even mention nausicaa), but I think Porco Rossa deserves to be a little higher up.
Calvin H. on 02-16-2012 01:05 PM
If you are going to watch Grave of the Fireflies, keep those tissues handy !
One of the most moving films I have ever seen, animation or not.
Sonshou S. on 02-16-2012 11:16 PM
when it's about animes, there's a lot of them which can make better drama than any movie with real actors, so it's a prejudice say "animation or not".
Jon L on 02-17-2012 09:33 AM
I concur. The first time I saw "Grave of the Fireflies", I lost it at the end. You sincerely get attached to the characters in a way that doesn't happen too often in any movie. Watch "Grave" in Japanese with English subtitles and you know what I mean.
An A on 02-18-2012 12:07 PM
It is the greatest anti-war movie ever made
and it's done without anger or preaching
and without naming the 'Us' or the 'Them.'
It takes you on a journey and you really feel the effect of war
and although we already know there is nothing good to be said for what war does
it hits you hard when you see close up the story of a boy and his little sister. It's based on a true story. We know there were worse horrors in war then this
but this is a stunning example of helping us feel the crime against nature and humanity that has been committed.
Yes, you will cry. It is the #1 movie for me in its message and its delivery.
An A on 02-18-2012 12:23 PM
I'm rethinking my
'We know there were worse horrors in war then this' comment.
Is the death of millions worse than the death of one?
That would seem obvious but is death by torture of an adult worse than death by starvation of a little girl? What questions!
One little girl's life is not more sacred than another's in another part of the world because all life is sacred but it is far more poignant to us in this film because of the needless loss of purity and innocence. You are forced to ask WHY? after the film ends. It should not have happened. There is always another way. We need to identify the malevolent forces that create and sell wars and we need look no further than our leaders and our media.
Too bad all our war criminals here in the states are still walking free and this country is still in denial.
For Setsuko's sake we must say NO. Do not let the drum beats of war sound again. May Murdoch be stripped of a broadcasting license.
May all the media who sold war be tried for it.
May all the war criminals be tried.
Do not let your voice be drowned out.
Love should win because love is coming from an endless store.
May we have Seita's strength, Setsuko's innocence, and Takahata's sense of justice.
Janson J. on 02-18-2012 12:46 PM
Amen.
An A on 02-18-2012 12:56 PM
A massive 'thank you' to Akiyuki Nosaka who wrote the book Grave of The Fireflies based on on his experiences.
Telos D on 02-18-2012 05:28 PM
"May Murdoch be stripped of his broadcasting license"?
As you wrote more and more, the authoritarian poison surfaced.
This is how wars happen.
Let us learn better from our fables, and cry for our angry hearts.
Janson J. on 02-18-2012 08:08 PM
Murdach is the authoritarian, Telos. Have you heard a little thing about his publications' phone-tapping scandal lately? Patrick Henry, he ain't.
Faysal S on 02-21-2012 06:14 AM
awesome comment from Jn a.......I WILL WATCH THAT MOVIE
Jon L on 02-17-2012 09:28 AM
If you have kids, Porco Rosso and Whisper of the Heart are definitely ones that they should enjoy. Grave of the Fireflies is deeply emotional animated feature. The DVD I have of the movie includes a special interview with Roger Ebert, who equates the movie in the same breadth as any live action Hollywood flick set during WWII.
David L on 02-17-2012 08:44 PM
I have seen all atleast twice, including many pre ghibli films. I would have to say my favourites are Arrietty, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo. My least Favorites are My Neighbour Totoro, Tales from Earth Sea and Ocean Waves.
Scott M on 02-18-2012 02:54 PM
I grow greatly tired of people saying Ponyo was disappointing. If you ask me, it should have given Pixar's Up a piledriver at the Oscars. It didn't have to resort to a sappy montage in order to create emotion, and it was magical the whole way through (as opposed to just the first fifteen minutes). Ponyo is, in my opinion, the best animated film since Spirited Away. It's far more genuine, touching and magical (not to mention beautiful) than anything Pixar has done (though Brad Bird's films are as close to Miyazakia s anyone will get).
Give me a magical goldfish who turns into a little girl over flying houses and talking dogs any day.
Mattiator on 02-21-2012 10:56 PM
The only sense in which Ponyo was a disappointment to me was that it wasn't as good, in my eyes, as Miyazaki's best work. I also got a bad taste in my mouth from the English dub's closing song. Personally, there were about 3 films that year that were EASILY better than Up. In my books The Sky Crawlers was the most deserving, and it would have finally given Mamoru Oshii the recognition he deserves as a pioneering anime film maker. Ponyo also would have been a fine choice.
Scott M on 02-18-2012 02:55 PM
I grow greatly tired of people saying Ponyo was disappointing. If you ask me, it should have given Pixar's Up a piledriver at the Oscars. It didn't have to resort to a sappy montage in order to create emotion, and it was magical the whole way through (as opposed to just the first fifteen minutes). Ponyo is, in my opinion, the best animated film since Spirited Away. It's far more genuine, touching and magical (not to mention beautiful) than anything Pixar has done (though Brad Bird's films are as close to Miyazakia s anyone will get).
Give me a magical goldfish who turns into a little girl over flying houses and talking dogs any day.
Jeremy M on 02-19-2012 05:49 PM
Ponyo was fine, but it never rose above the level of fine. There was nothing magical or stand-out about it, it sorely lacked that spark that Miyazaki's best (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) films have. Also I thought the English dub was pretty bad, despite really liking many of the actors involved.
But the montage scene at the beginning of Up exceeds any single scene I have seen (heh) in all of animation. What it accomplishes in so little time with no dialog is breathtaking.
King S. on 02-20-2012 07:54 AM
Oh great, praising a Studio Ghibli film by slamming a Pixar one, it's like you can't be a fan of something without slamming the "competetion" If you're a fan of Burton's Batman films you have to slam the ones by Nolan, if you're a fan of Harry Potter you have to slam Lord of the Rings, if you're a fan of Disney classics you have to slam Pixar. Pretty soon fans of Spiderman are going to being doing the same with Webb's version and Raimi's version.
Seriously, I agree that Ponyo is a classic, but so is Up. I never got that whole "only the first 15 minutes are good" critisicm just like I never got the whole "only the first half of Wall-e is good" complaint. I thought the whole film was incredible. Yeah, sure the marriage life scene is the saddest (how exactly is it sappy? It managed to display all the ups and downs of the life of two married people in just a few minutes with no dialogue - truly an impressive achievement) but there are still plenty of great scenes in the rest of the movie. The growing friendship between Carl and Russel was also pretty touching. In the wrong hands Russel would have just been an annoying kid who gets on your nerves and yet Pixar managed to make him someone you'd find funny and who you really cared for (I loved the scene where he just threw his badge collection and said to Carl angrily "Here, I don't want this anymore, and the scene where Carl gave Russel the Ellie badge was almost as touching as the marriage life scene) Also, the plot was incredibly well writted. Too often in adventure movies, the plot is just an obstacle course where you could delete a good portion of the film without hurting the plot, while you could say the same about a lot of the characters, and yet in Up character like Kevin and Doug are not just there for comic relief, but crucial to the whole story.
In fact, forget the best animated oscar, Up deserved to win the best picture oscar. Heck, if the Academy really wanted to boost up their ratings they would have given to it, as would it would have been one of their most unexpected choices along the lines of Crash and Shakespeare in Love without suffering from the kind of controversy those films brought them.
Janson J. on 02-20-2012 09:21 AM
I've already seen the 'pre-fans' of the new "Amazing Spiderman" trying to slam the Raimi films. I understand the disappointment with the third one, but the hyperbole of hate is similarly unwarranted.