It never came across my ignorant 17-year old mind that there were great animation companies outside of Disney but alas, one day I came upon a movie called Arietty by Japan’s Studio Ghibli on the film channel.
I watched the movie without a thought in my mind and by the end of it, I felt oddly refreshed in a way that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
After Arietty, it became my goal to get through all of the Studio Ghibli movies, and it became my ritual to watch them only on days when I had nothing on my mind and when I could curl up and enjoy them to the fullest extent.
As I watched one movie after another, I started gaining a sense of satisfaction that I only would get when I’d watch cartoons as a child.
Watching these simple yet meaningful movies reminded me of a time when life was so much simpler, and when imagination sat like a mist around my brain.
So without further ado, let us begin with the list of my top 8 Studio Ghibli movies that I would recommend for you to watch!
1. Spirited Away
After leaving her old hometown to move to a new house, 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents stumble across an abandoned amusement park. Famished from the long journey, Chihiro’s father follows the smell of delicious food where both he and his wife begin engorging on piles and piles of delectable foods like pigs.
Soon, she realises that this amusement park isn’t abandoned but is in fact a place where spirits settle and work in the night. She rushes back to warn her parents but find that just like the animals they were acting as, they have become giant pigs.
Watch as Chihiro not only saves her parents and brings them back, but touches the hearts of the people around her and helps them find who they truly are.
The animation is beautiful and the quirkiness of characters is natural of studio Ghibli. Chihiro’s strength is inspiring for little children but the storyline is so mesmerising that adults will fall for this movie too.
2. Howl’s Moving Castle
‘I see no point in living if I can’t be beautiful’
Sophie is a simple, young woman working in her late father’s hat shop. But one day, she encounters the charming Howl, a well-known wizard who is believed to feed on the hearts of young maidens and who also lives in a magical flying castle.
However, the Witch of the Waste is not happy with this newfound relationship forming between Howl and Sophie and thus turns her into an elderly woman.
From here, we follow Sophie as she searches for Howl to reverse the curse put on her and even help Howl with his own personal journey.
This is a riveting story about two young people who have feelings for each other but are also on a journey of understanding themselves and accepting themselves for who they are.
3. Ponyo
This is a movie about a young goldfish princess who breaks against the wishes of her father and enters the world above the sea. She meets a little boy named Sosuke and at once they are inseparable.
However, the problem that hinders the friendship between these two young characters is the fact that Ponyo is actually a fish and has magical powers. On top of that, she has a father who actively pursues her to return her back to their sea home and live her magical fish life.
I know, so realistic, I love it.
But, Ponyo’s ambition of becoming a human and being with the little boy she loves never withers away and no matter what trouble she needs to face, Ponyo fights for what she wants.
4. The Secret World of Arietty
Arietty is part of a group called the Borrowers, little people who live in the holes and hidden places of real people’s homes, ‘borrowing’ sugar cubes, food and other resources from the humans to stay alive and take care of their homes.
Unfortunately, one day a little boy named Shawn (an inhabitant of the home that Arietty’s family live in) sees her and due to this forming friendship between the two, the Borrower family are forced to move out in order to maintain their cover from humans.
This is a story of a great friendship between Shawn and Arietty and the simple struggles of this story truly teach a life lesson of being happy and doing what’s best for oneself.
5. Whisper of the Heart
The story is centred around Shizuku, a bookworm who wants to be an author. She meets a young boy called Seiji who irritates her and who she realises is the person that has checked out all the books she always wanted to read.
But, a cat chase later, an entrance into an antiques shop and much more, this relationship changes to something that is much more meaningful between Shizuku and Seiji.
The story is not just based around this relationship, but focuses on the relationship one has with themselves and refreshingly depicts that love doesn’t need to just be a journey between two people but is a journey that one can have with themselves.
6. My Neighbour Totoro
This is the story of Satsuke and her sister Mei, who move with their father to a worn down house in the countryside as their mother, who is slowly recovering from an illness, is recovering in a hospital there. Both Satsuke and Mei are playful and adventurous girls, and soon meet spirits who they befriend.
But one day, Mei gets lost after an argument with her sister. Satsuke’s father is at work, so Satsuke is forced to be the adult in her desperate search for Mei. Hours pass and she still can’t find her – watch Satsuke as she gains the help of her spirit friends and attempts to find Mei.
7. Kiki’s Delivery service
The story follows a young witch named Kiki who travels away from home for a year with her cat Jiji. She chooses to stay in a seaside town and soon finds herself fitting in very well with the local inhabitants to the point that she becomes a special courier for a bakery.
She also attracts the attention of the young Tombo, who is obsessed with flight and aviation and who wishes to know more about Kiki’s flying broomstick, and also the witch herself.
But of course, Kiki is only young and so has much to learn as she grows in this year; watch Kiki as she tackles her obstacles and finds a strength that she can only gain once she starts believing in herself.
In this story, witchcraft and magic aren’t something people are scared of, but all the characters and the whole story itself embrace individuality. It is a story celebrating difference, and this is exactly what makes this movie so special.
8. When Marnie Was There
Anna, a quiet and withdrawn 12-year-old girl, is sent by her foster parents to a seaside town under instructions from their doctor who believes that doing this will help bring Anna back to her previous, cheery self.
But when she arrives, she is drawn to an abandoned mansion near the beach that she constantly draws and very soon even has dreams about a little girl who lives there.
On the evening of the Tanabata festival, Anna rushes to the abandoned mansion after having a dispute with one of the local girls. She sees the girl that was in her dreams and finds out that her name is Marnie.
Soon, a great friendship forms between the two young characters, a friendship they want to keep secret and hidden from the rest of the world they are withdrawn from.
But what happens when Marnie suddenly vanishes in mid-conversation? What happens when the next day she comes to see the abandoned house, she sees it is truly abandoned and Marnie is no longer there?
This is the story of Anna that she embarks on unknowingly as she reveals her own hidden secrets and finds out answers that she never would have imagined of. It is a story of time, pain and growth and truly touches the heart.
So there you have it! Start with the movie that sounds the best to you and go from there.
Whilst watching these movies you’ll find that a lot, if not all, of the main protagonists are girls/ women. It is a quality that I love about Studio Ghibli as each and every movie shows the power of women, and follows them paving a path where they can create their own destinies.
And each of these movies, as well as all the others, really capture an essence of childhood that you could only feel as a child.
The next time it’s raining, try watching a Studio Ghibli movie and immerse yourself in a different style of animation, a different way of story-telling, a different culture.
Watch, and become a child again.
