The best of the best from the studio that brought us Totoro, Ponyo, and a flying, fascistfighting pig. Every Studio Ghibli movie ranked, from the cheerfully med

The best of the best from the studio that brought us Totoro, Ponyo, and a flying, fascist-fighting pig.

Every Studio Ghibli movie ranked, from the cheerfully mediocre to cinematic masterpieces

The best of the best from the studio that brought us Totoro, Ponyo, and a flying, fascist-fighting pig.

By Christian Holub,

Christian Holub

Christian Holub is a writer covering comics and other geeky pop culture. He's still mad about 'Firefly' getting canceled.

EW's editorial guidelines

Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano.

EW's editorial guidelines

Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a senior writer at . Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references.

EW's editorial guidelines

and Kevin Jacobsen

Published on August 1, 2025 08:30AM EDT

Leave a Comment

Totoro (voice: Hitoshi Takagi) in 'My Neighbor Totoro'; Mahito (voice: Soma Santoki) in 'The Boy and the Heron'; Kiki (voice: Minami Takayama) in 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. Credit:

Studio Ghibli/Tokuma-Shoten/Nibariki/Kobal/Shutterstock; Studio Ghibli; Ntv/Studio Ghibli/Tokuma Shoten/Kobal/Shutterstock

The artistic giants at Studio Ghibli have a track record of producing some of the best animated films of all time, particularly those conceived by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. With fantastical worlds, instantly memorable characters, and a more complex view of childhood compared to their animation competitors, it's no wonder that their creative output has captivated millions of fans worldwide, adults and kids alike.

Studio Ghibli has released two dozen feature/TV films since its founding in the mid-1980s. While some are naturally greater than others, you can hardly go wrong by watching most of their movies and letting yourself be transported by the gorgeous animation and lively voice performances. Ahead, in honor of the studio's 40th anniversary, we rank every Studio Ghibli film from least effective to most unforgettable.

24. When Marnie Was There (2014)

Anna (voice: Sara Takatsuki) and Marnie (voice: Kasumi Arimura) in 'When Marnie Was There'. Studio Ghibli

Based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson, this time-traveling ghost story is a mish-mash of tones that never quite coheres, ranging from morbidly depressing (one character literally apologizes: "It's such a sad story") to cheerfully dull. —*Christian Holub*

23. Earwig and the Witch (2020)

Earwig (voice: Kokoro Hirasawa) in 'Earwig and the Witch'. GKIDS Films

Studio Ghibli turned away from the hand-drawn animation that made the studio famous and tried making a film with 3-D CGI animation...and the results are not great. Based on a novel by Diana Wynne Jones (the same author as *Howl's Moving Castle*), *Earwig and the Witch* possesses some of the Ghibli hallmarks we all know and love. The protagonist, for example, is an adventurous young girl who doesn't take crap from anybody; there's also a playful magical familiar and a demonic figure who actually isn't as scary as he looks.

But, in *Earwig and the Witch*, these familiar tropes feel like they're suffocating under a plastic-looking sheen that doesn't allow for much personality or expression. As fun as it is to hear Kacey Musgraves singing in a Ghibli movie (as Earwig's mother), *Earwig and the Witch* just lacks magic. —*C.H.*

22. Tales From Earthsea (2006)

Arren (voice: Junichi Okada) in 'Tales From Earthsea'. Studio Ghibli

If anyone was capable of adapting Ursula K. Le Guin's one-of-a-kind fantasy series for the screen, it was probably Hayao Miyazaki...which makes it a slight bummer that the legendary animator passed this project off to his son Gorō Miyazaki instead.

Named after the fifth Earthsea book but based on plot elements and character moments from the first, third, and fourth novels, *Tales From Earthsea* gets a little too tripped up mixing and matching disparate references to tell a completely coherent story. To its credit, it does nail the most important themes of the Earthsea series (namely, that mankind should use its power in concert with the natural order rather than try to oppress it, and that death is what makes life beautiful in the first place) and there are some delightful mash-ups of Le Guin's style with Ghibli's aesthetic.

Still, it's a shame that aside from a brief opening scene, an Earthsea movie spends so little time on the ocean. These days, fans of Ged and Arren's sea journey in *The Farthest Shore* will find a more satisfying adaptation in *Moana*. —*C.H. *

21. Ocean Waves (1993)

Yutaka (voice: Toshihiko Seki) and Taku (voice: Nobuo Tobita) in 'Ocean Waves'. Everett Collection

A one-off in Studio Ghibli's filmography, *Ocean Waves* was an experiment in letting younger staff members at the studio make their own movie. Though it wasn't successful enough to sustain the experiment, *Ocean Waves* is still an interesting portrait of adolescent alienation and the strange sensation of not fully understanding certain personal encounters until years afterward. It never even got an English dub, making it a diamond-in-the-rough for American viewers. —*C.H. *

20. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

Shun (voice: Junichi Okada) and Umi (voice: Masami Nagasawa) in 'From Up on Poppy Hill'. Studio Ghibli

Gorō Miyazaki's second directorial effort is a more cohesive story than his first, and the jaunty score by Satoshi Takebe gives *From Up on Poppy Hill* a delightful energy that matches its early-'60s period setting. But making the central romantic challenge a case of possible incest just strikes a discordant note. —*C.H.*

19. The Cat Returns (2002)

Haru (voice: Chizuru Ikewaki) in 'The Cat Returns'. Everett Collection

Possibly the Ghibli film least tethered to reality, *The Cat Returns* takes the elegant cat statue character from *Whisper of the Heart* and really runs with it, sending protagonist Haru on an *Alice in Wonderland*-like journey through a magical cat kingdom. The English voice dub has some delightfully odd casting choices, such as Peter Boyle as Haru's fat white cat guide and Elliott Gould as a raven named Toto. If you're a cat person, it's a colorful imagining of what a feline society could look like. If you're not a cat person, it's a lot to take. —*C.H.*

18. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

Arrietty (voice: Mirai Shida) in 'The Secret World of Arrietty'. Everett Collection

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata had wanted to adapt Mary Norton's 1952 children's book *The Borrowers* (about sprite-sized people who borrow objects from everyday human life in order to survive) for decades. The final result, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, is pretty to look at and inventive in its world-building (to a Borrower like Arrietty, a pin is a heroic sword and a sugar cube is a feast) but ultimately feels a little hollow. —*C.H.*

17. Whisper of the Heart (1995)

The Baron (voice: Shigeru Tsuyuguchi) and Shizuku (voice: Yōko Honna) in 'Whisper of the Heart'. Everett Collection

The great "what-if" from Studio Ghibli's history, *Whisper of the Heart* was the only feature directed by Yoshifumi Kondō before his untimely death in 1998. It's hard not to think about what else could have been, but *Whisper of the Heart* is still a wonderful piece about young love in and of itself.

Falling for a talented young violin maker inspires Shizuku to explore her own creative talents as a writer. Her first attempt at a novel, inspired by an intriguing cat statue called the Baron owned by her crush's grandfather, makes for a balanced blend between fantasy and reality (whereas the film's eventual spinoff, *The Cat Returns*, dives headfirst into absurd fantasy territory). The fact that translating and reinterpreting John Denver's song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is at the center of the movie adds an extra resonance to American viewers watching translated versions of these Japanese films. —*C.H.*

16. Pom Poko (1994)

Shoukichi (voice: Makoto Nonomura) in 'Pom Poko'. Everett Collection

The earlier machinations of Studio Ghibli would lay the groundwork for the animation house's defining elements: unveiling a hidden world, man's relationship with nature, and a confidence in the resilience and imagination of children. *Pom Poko* is one of those early attempts.

In the Tama Hills beyond the borders of Tokyo are the tanuki, Japanese raccoon dogs. At first glance, they seem like normal wild animals. Eventually, though, they change. At times, viewers see them as more cartoonish anthropomorphic raccoons strutting around in clothing. In other moments, they tap into their shape-shifting abilities to take human forms (because, as they say, anyone can learn shapeshifting.) That's how the film lures in its audience: The jovial concept gives way to the more serious topic of man's colonization of nature. A suburban development lays waste to the tanuki's forest, pitting these creatures against humans in a war to save their home. —*Nick Romano*

15. Ponyo (2008)

Sōsuke (voice: Hiroki Doi) and Ponyo (voice: Yuuri Nara) in 'Ponyo'. Everett Collection

Hayao Miyazaki's most minor work is a fusion of *The Little Mermaid* and *Pinocchio*, focusing on the titular goldfish girl who decides she wants to be human after encountering a boy named Sōsuke. Though *Ponyo* is decidedly aimed at a younger audience, the tsunami that Ponyo's father sends to retrieve her makes for one joyfully inventive sequence. —*C.H.*

14. Only Yesterday (1991)

Taeko Okajima (voice: Yōko Honna) in 'Only Yesterday'. Everett Collection

There are no flying pigs or playful forest sprites in *Only Yesterday*, but Isao Takahata's understated drama has a magic all the same. The film's simple plot seems more akin to a Sundance coming-of-age indie than an animated tale, following a 27-year-old city dweller as she journeys to the countryside by train and reflects on her childhood.

For years, the film was hard to find, and although it debuted in Japan in 1991, it didn't get a U.S. release until 2016 (presumably because its intimate look at female life and frank talk about menstruation didn't exactly mesh with your standard American kids' movies). But, although *Only Yesterday *may not be one of Ghibli's marquee titles, it has a quiet, contemplative brilliance, mixing memory and reality to craft a poignant story of what it means to grow up. —*Devan Coggan*

13. The Wind Rises (2013)

Naoko Satomi (voice: Miori Takimoto) in 'The Wind Rises'. Studio Ghibli

It's nice that Hayao Miyazaki directed at least one more film, because this biopic of Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi always felt somewhat muted as a final statement. It's easy to see why Miyazaki related to Horikoshi, given their shared love of flying machines and the creative similarities between artists and engineers, but it would've been interesting to see more direct contemplation of how "beautiful dreams" become weapons of war as art is twisted out of its creators' hands.

Instead, *The Wind Rises* focuses more on the doomed romance between Jiro and his consumptive crush Naoko in an effort to show that just because you know how a journey will ultimately end doesn't mean it isn't worth pursuing. If the wind is rising, then we must try to live. —*C.H.*

12. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

Kaguya (voice: Aki Asakura) in 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'. Studio Ghibli

*The Tale of the Princess Kaguya *is also the tale of Isao Takahata, one of the three cofounders of Studio Ghibli who passed away in 2018. Takahata believed animation could reach certain depths of reality that live-action could not. "I don't think audiences really 'watch' live-action features carefully," he once said. "However, they'd be forced to for an anime feature because anime captures things we do and reflects more solid reality than how they actually are."

This was his goal for what became his final film and speaks to the legacy he left behind at Studio Ghibli. *Kaguya* is based on *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter*, a book he read as a child about a bamboo cutter who discovers a miniature girl within a stalk of bamboo who grows to become a woman of great beauty. Takahata didn't want audiences to be distracted by a more realistic art style. He wanted them to empathize with the princess, which is something he couldn't get from the book on first reading.

So, he embraced a watercolor aesthetic, telling Wired in March 2015 that he "aimed to have the audience vividly imagine or recall the reality deep within the drawings, rather than thinking the drawings themselves were the real thing." The result is a dreamy, evocative saga of a young heroine experiencing the world. —*N.R.*

The 23 best animated movies on Netflix

How 'The Boy and the Heron' pays tribute to Studio Ghibli's founders

11. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Nausicaä (voice: Sumi Shimamoto) in 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'. Everett Collection

The movie that made Studio Ghibli was technically produced before its founding, but, since *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind* inspired almost everything that came after, it is usually included in this body of work. Nausicaä herself is practically the primal Ghibli protagonist, a young woman whose kindness, curiosity, and joie de vivre bring light to her valley — one of the last refuges of humanity in a postapocalyptic future. She also loves flying, as you probably could have guessed.

For a movie released in 1984, *Nausicaä* has a lot to say about the modern world. Most notably, the characters are often wearing face masks to protect themselves from the poisonous atmosphere of the so-called "toxic jungle" that has been spreading across the world ever since a long-ago armageddon known as the Seven Days of Fire (glimpsed briefly and horrifically in the opening credits). While some militaristic factions seek to resurrect an ancient superweapon in order to reinforce mankind's dominance over the planet, Nausicaä is desperate to convince her enemies, her friends, and the audience watching the film of a different idea: It still might not be too late for humans to learn how to live with nature rather than against it. —*C.H.*

10. My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

Noboru (voice: Hayato Isobata), Nonoko (voice: Naomi Uno), and Matsuko (voice: Yukiji Asaoka) in 'My Neighbors the Yamadas'. Studio Ghibli

Although the title invokes *My Neighbor Totoro*, *My Neighbors the Yamadas* eschews fairy-tale creatures in favor of hilarious and heartbreaking vignettes from everyday family life. That's not the only way it differs from typical Ghibli fare. This Isao Takahata film is animated in a unique style more reminiscent of newspaper comic strips than the fantasy epics that populate the rest of this list. *My Neighbors the Yamadas* was perhaps a little too unique for Japanese viewers, who rejected it at the box office, but its stylistic experiments have stood the test of time. —*C.H.*

9. The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Mahito (voice: Soma Santoki) and the heron (voice: Masaki Suda) in 'The Boy and the Heron'. Studio Ghibli

Miyazaki came out of retirement to craft this fantastical drama that covers themes of life, death, and legacy. While slightly more mature in its storytelling than previous efforts, the animation legend proves he's one of the best at world-building and character design in this semi-autobiographical tale.

*The Boy and the Heron* centers on a boy named Mahito who, following the death of his mother, moves with his father to a country estate. There, he meets a peculiar, squawking grey heron who persuades him to visit a nearby tower that contains untold mysteries and helps him process his grief. While the film becomes a tad metaphor-laden toward its conclusion, it's still a dazzling work of art with great voice performances (particularly Robert Pattinson as the heron in the English dub) and a poignant message that resonates with older audiences. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

8. Castle in the Sky (1986)

Pazu (voice: Mayumi Tanaka) and Sheeta (voice: Keiko Yokozawa) in 'Castle in the Sky'. Studio Ghibli

Though not as well-known in the U.S. as its successors, the first official Studio Ghibli film made a seismic cultural impact in Japan that endures to this day. *Final Fantasy* and related video game franchises are nearly unimaginable without *Castle in the Sky*, which had a foundational influence on the steampunk genre as a whole.

But for all that iconography, the story of a girl named Sheeta who falls from the sky and inspires a boy named Pazu to pursue his father's dream still contains elemental magic. One of the most fascinating things about the floating civilization of Laputa is its relationship to the struggle between nature and man-made technology that dominates so much of Ghibli's work. By the time Pazu and Sheeta finally reach it, they find the castle's automatons already overgrown with plants. Not even the imaginary zenith of human civilization can overpower nature forever. —*C.H.*

7. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Kiki (voice: Minami Takayama) and Jiji (voice: Rei Sakuma) in 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. Everett Collection

With this 1989 coming-of-age classic, Miyazaki introduced one of Ghibli's richest and most lovable protagonists. From the moment we meet Kiki, a wide-eyed witch trying to find her place in the world, she's eager and ambitious, but also grounded by self-doubt. She leaves home and sets out for the big city with nothing but a broom and a black cat for company, and the result is a tender, sympathetic portrait of a girl's first forays into independence — and all the awkward fumbles that can come along the way. Kiki's journey is a reminder that strength and vulnerability can fly hand in hand, and sometimes, all you need is a little bravery to take to the sky. —*D.C.*

6. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

The castle in 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Everett Collection

When the topic of Studio Ghibli comes up, *Howl's Moving Castle* tends to be polarizing. The 2004 film, about a young woman cursed with old age who finds herself keeping house for a wizard in a roaming fortress, got a lot of love at the time, but there are those who find it doesn't quite match up with Miyazaki's other works. Nevertheless, it remains one of the filmmaker's most enthralling, inventive pieces.

The movie is based on the children's book by Diana Wynne Jones, but when you think of *Howl's Moving Castle*, you think of Miyazaki. That's because he made it his own. It's his now. *Howl's* imagines a fully realized world of magic, demons, and whimsy, but also the horrors of violence and war. It's about change and growth for Sophie as she journeys to find her own beauty and love, but also Howl, the lonely wizard thrown into a human war of which he never asked to be a part. Miyazaki brings a vibrant palette with enough creative reimagining to dazzle and evoke childlike awe even in adult audiences. —*N.R.*

5. Porco Rosso (1992)

Porco Rosso (voice: Shūichirō Moriyama) in 'Porco Rosso'. Everett Collection

For a film set in such a specific time and place, *Porco Rosso* has aged remarkably well. This tale of an Italian flying ace hunting Mediterranean sea pirates between the World Wars could pass as historical fiction but for the fact that the protagonist is, well, a pig-man. He was transformed for reasons that are never fully explained — only hinted at in a beautiful sequence that makes one consider death, eternity, and the incalculable human loss of war (little wonder Miyazaki returned to it with a direct nod in *The Wind Rises*).

Perhaps Ghibli's most successful tonal blend, *Porco Rosso* is adventurous and comical, full of romance and longing, with a political rallying cry that feels as powerful today as it would have in 1920s Italy: "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist." —*C.H.*

4. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Setsuko (voice: Ayano Shiraishi) in 'Grave of the Fireflies'. Everett Collection

Isao Takahata's legendary tear-jerker stands a bit apart from the rest of Studio Ghibli's work. This is partly a result of the film's slightly different licensing, which makes *Grave of the Fireflies* unavailable on Max unlike the rest of the Ghibli filmography (it's currently streaming on Netflix). But, on top of that, the film is also a heartbreaking inversion of the typical Ghibli formula.

Like so many other movies on this list, *Grave of the Fireflies* centers on young children who think they're going on a magical adventure — but they are unfortunately traveling in the real world, without any helpful spirits to protect them. Several Ghibli stories take place in a vague "postwar" setting, but while Japan makes its World War II surrender shortly into the runtime here, the fires of war are still burning hot enough to consume life, love, and family. *Grave of the Fireflies *makes it clear that *The Wind Rises *protagonist Jiro Horikoshi is far from the only person who saw his beautiful dreams perish in that inferno of conflict that American viewers are so used to thinking of as a righteous victory. —*C.H.*

3. Spirited Away (2001)

Spirit of the Kohaku River (voice: Miyu Irino) and Chihiro (voice: Rumi Hiiragi) in 'Spirited Away'. Studio Ghibli

Let's be honest: If you're reading this ranking, then surely you already love this movie (and if you haven't had the pleasure, it makes a great introduction to the world of Ghibli). Perhaps the signature Studio Ghibli film, *Spirited Away* is the ultimate spiritual odyssey-as-coming-of-age experience.

Though many Ghibli heroines are literal princesses, it's precisely the relatable everyday humanity of Chihiro that allows her to navigate the magical wonders and terrors of Yubaba's bathhouse. Her normalcy also highlights the unique nature of the characters she encounters in the spirit world, who count among Ghibli's most memorable creations. Miyazaki's dual obsessions with the wonder of flight and the power of young love are combined in the form of the dragon spirit Haku, and has there ever been a more relatable spirit than the insatiable No-Face? *Spirited Away* is a perfect balance of all the things Studio Ghibli does well, but there are a couple of films that drill down even more sharply on specific elements. —*C.H.*

2. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Totoro (voice: Hitoshi Takagi), Mei (voice: Chika Sakamoto), Satsuki (voice: Noriko Hidaka), and Medium Totoro in 'My Neighbor Totoro'. Everett Collection

It's fascinating to consider that *My Neighbor Totoro* and *Grave of the Fireflies* were originally presented in theaters as a double feature, because it's hard to imagine two more starkly opposite takes on similar material. While *Grave of the Fireflies* is a morbid examination of the way the terrors of the adult world smash the illusions of childhood, *My Neighbor Totoro* treasures and protects that innocence. This film barely has a plot, much less a villain, but how many kids imagine dastardly foes when daydreaming in the backyard?

Young Satsuki and Mei move to the countryside with their father to be closer to their ailing mother, but, unlike the many other Ghibli films with a similar premise, they do not react to this circumstance with depression or alienation. Instead, Satsuki and Mei delight in their new rural surroundings, especially after they meet Totoro. The titular cuddly creature might be a forest spirit, or a unique breed of animal, or just an imaginary friend. Who needs to know the specifics?

In any case, Totoro embodies the friendliness of nature and the magic of childhood. He's become a global icon and the symbol of Studio Ghibli for a reason. More than 35 years after its release, *My Neighbor Totoro* can still imbue viewers with wonder at the world in which we find ourselves. —*C.H.*

1. Princess Mononoke (1997)

San (voice: Yuriko Ishida) in 'Princess Mononoke'. Studio Ghibli

Well, here we are. By this point, you've read about many wonderful films that revel in the magic of childhood imaginations. By contrast, the greatest Studio Ghibli film is not as concerned with inner beauty as it is with the wonder around us that humans are constantly in the process of destroying. *Princess Mononoke* burns with red-hot anger at humanity's desecration of the natural world, the way we trample over balanced ecosystems in pursuit of profit, but this film's refusal to indulge in easy answers is what makes it Miyazaki's masterpiece.

It's easy to see evil in Lady Eboshi's destructive pursuit of the Great Forest Spirit, but much more difficult to moralize about the residents of Iron Town. The community Eboshi built to process the iron ore she steals from the domains of the great animal spirits has nevertheless given purpose and fulfillment to the most outcast members of society. Who is wrong, and who is right? It's hard to say. The heroic Ashitaka tries his best to act morally; for his trouble he is personally cursed, and still fails to prevent cataclysm.

The point is that change is the nature of life. Just as the Forest Spirit transforms into the Nightwalker at sunset, so too can humans change our ways. After all, growing up is not just a matter of discovering things about oneself, but also coming to understand one's place in the larger world. Everything is connected, and there's no such thing as free iron. If humans want to be masters of the world, if we want to kill God and dominate nature, then we have to take responsibility for that world. If we don't, if we allow hatred to fester in the wounds of our conquests, then we shouldn't be surprised when demonic forces materialize, hungry for vengeance. —*C.H.*

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Movies"

Read More

---

Source: Astro Blog

Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities