Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animated film studio founded on June 15, 1985, currently totaling 22 films under the studio. Many are produced and created by the well-known director Hayao Miyazaki.
The highest-grossing films under the studio are Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. Studio Ghibli studio was founded by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata along with producer Toshio Suzuki. Studio Ghibli’s name is derived from an Italian noun, Ghibli, which was the nickname of an Italian scouting plane. The name is originally derived from an Arabic translation of “hot desert wind.” Miyazaki chose this name due to his passion for aircraft and the idea that it would “blow new wind” through the anime industry.
The film studio is accredited for its positive portrayal of society’s working class and the beauty of more mundane and slower-paced life, all emphasized through the beautiful animation style and musical components of the films.
I enjoy all of the Studio Ghibli films that I have seen. However, I would like to detail my top five from the studio and all the ways they touch my heart. Also, there’s no particular order amongst the five, just my top ones!
1. Arrietty (2010)
This film I watched over a year ago and it captivated me because of its focus on nature and the tenderness in the film. Studio Ghibli films have the common theme of tenderness and care, with a beautiful sense of artistry.
Arrietty follows a garden fairy whose family has lived under a human family’s house. They live off the land, embracing the way that nature flows while being able to have respect for it. Arrietty becomes friends with a human boy who has a chronic illness. The garden fairies and humans have been notorious for keeping separate lives while coexisting. Watching their (Arrietty and the human boy) relationship develop was touching to witness, as it was filled with friendship and care for one another.
2. Ponyo (2008)
In my eyes, Ponyo is such a sweet movie and a great depiction of pure love. One that’s just true care and wanting for nothing more. It depicts this beautiful connection to the environment as well, along with respecting the lands and the seas. Exploring what could happen if we don’t care and treat them with respect, reaping the consequences through a magical and fantastical story.
3. Whisper of The Heart (1995)
This wasn’t the first Studio Ghibli film that I watched, but once I did, it instantly became one of my favorites. It follows this middle school Japanese girl who wants to become a writer. In the process of wanting to follow her dreams, she also has to fulfill obligations and take her middle school exams to see where she would be placed for high school. She eventually meets a boy who always checks out library books before her and she begins to notice. The two eventually forge a connection with care and where they both encourage each other to follow their passions.
I think it’s a film that deeply resonates with me as I would like to become a writer and enjoy seeing her journey to discovering where her true passions lie. It’s especially empowering to see a young girl hold great passion for something and to pursue it!
4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
I believe this was the second Studio Ghibli film that I watched and I found it to be the coziest little film. I loved the feel of childlike wonder that I got from this film. There’s nothing more I can say without spoiling it, so go give it a watch!
5. The Wind Rises (2013)
This was the most recent Studio Ghibli film that I watched when I went home for a weekend. It follows a Japanese boy, who we watch grow into a man, who had dreams of flying planes. Due to his poor eyesight, he resorts to becoming a plane engineer, helping to build planes for Japan during World War II. I enjoyed watching him follow his dreams and to be afforded the space to fully explore and dedicate himself to what he loves. He eventually meets someone he falls in love with, revealing the softening of his heart as he balances his passions with the emotional depth felt for his wife.
Honorable mention: When Marnie Was There (2014)
This was one of the only films that made me cry. It’s a film that was kind of hard to follow knowing what was true or not, as it delves into mystery and fantasy. It follows a 12-year-old girl who leaves Urban Japan, to spend the summer in the Japanese countryside. She’s quite shy and self-conscious at the beginning of the film, spending time alone on the coast off the lake near her aunt and uncle’s house while drawing an abandoned mansion across the water. From there opens a tale that explores themes of worth, connection, family, and self-discovery.
Overall, if you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film, I hope this is your incentive to go watch one. And if you’ve never seen one of these films, please go and watch when you have the time. They are available on HBO Max and other streaming platforms!