The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). 🤍 “The Procession of Celestial Beings I” by Joe Hisaishi is such an ethereal piece of music.
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.
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.
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.
Yeah, Castle in the Sky is considered the first “official” Ghibli movie.
I’d also have a pre-Ghibli film as my favourite with Lupin III: Castle of the Cagliostro. Although hard to argue with Mononoke or Nausicaa.
Agreed, and I never see anyone claim Nausicaa as their favourite. If the studio ever revisits earlier material, I hope they do a fuller adaptation of the source. It’s such a rich world, it deserves more time spent within it.
There are dozens of us.
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.
Probably Spirited away then there is Grave of the fireflies. That one though is something I can only watch once.
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.
Same.
Love the themes of environmentalism and societal diversity in Princess Mononoke.
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!
This is an impossible question to answer. I thought about it for at least a minute before giving up.
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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.
Agreed - all Ghibli movies are beautiful in their own right, but taking that cinematic mastery and applying it in what is essentially a film about the tragedies of war?
Shivers.
Haven’t seen all of them yet, but so far it’s Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is just a wonderful movie. It’s completely unlike any of my other favorites, but I adore it completely. It’s like a warm, cozy blanket.
My next favorite is probably Spirited Away.
Nausciaa, but they’re all magical.
- 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.
Castle in the sky is my all time favourite! The music and theme hits all the right boxes for me.
For me it’s a tie between mononoke, pom poko and the wind it rises
Oh and from up on poppy hill
Porco Rosso 100%, the music is amazing in that one and the end makes me smile every time.
Pom Poko is the only one I really enjoy. I keep falling asleep during Spirited Away lol
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!
