As an avid movie lover and critic, I must say my favorite films rank within the works of Studio
Ghibli. For newer people who have either never heard of Studio Ghibli or are looking for which
movies to start with from their studio, you’ve come to the right place. With a mixture of their
beautiful art style and their fun whimsy, Studio Ghibli never disappoints, even with some of my
least favorites of their demography
For those familiar with these films, my favorites are some of the most well known from the
studio and for good reason. My top five picks are Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Cat
Returns, The Wind Rises, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Spirited Away follows a little girl named Chihiro who is thrown into the spirit world when her
family accidentally stumbles upon an abandoned amusement park, which is the home of a spirit
bathhouse. Her parents are turned into pigs by the spirits there due to their gluttony, and Chihiro
must find a way to save her parents and find her way out of the spirit world.
Howl’s Moving Castle is based in a world of magic where we follow along with a hat shop’s
daughter, Sophie, who was cursed by a witch. In her adventure of trying to reverse her curse, she
meets the great wizard Howl, who is known for traveling around the Waste Lands in his moving
castle and eating the hearts of beautiful girls. Through her journey of reversing her curse, she
slowly begins to fall for him.
The Cat Returns is the sequel to “Whisper of the Heart,” where Haru, a normal high school girl,
saves a cat from being run over. Little does she know that cat happens to be the prince of the Cat
Kingdom, where she is then kidnapped and set to marry the prince as a thank you for saving his
life. With the assistance of two friendly cats, Haru finds a way to escape the Cat Kingdom and
return home before she slowly turns into a cat herself.
The Wind Rises is an absolute tearjerker and, in my opinion, worth every single tear dropped.
We meet Jiro Horikoshi, a nearsighted boy who dreams of flying however can’t due to his sight
but manifests his dreams and becomes an aircraft designer. He struggles through the Great
Depression, World War II, and meeting his love, Nahoko, and finding out the bittersweet reality
that comes with loving someone deeply.
Kiki’s Delivery Service follows Kiki and her talking cat, Jiji, as they spend a year alone, during
her witches in training. Kiki sets up a flying delivery service and becomes a big part of her
community. However she starts questioning her abilities and slowly loses her magic and must
overcome her self-doubt to gain her powers back.
These 5 movies encapsulate my love for Studio Ghibli and are continuous watches at any time of
the year. They are filled with heart, and the beautiful art style makes you never want to look
away from the screen. If you’re looking for something to watch, I highly recommend these 5
movies and, honestly, a watch of any of the others that can be found in their demography! The
discovery of this studio, or continued discovery, adds a drop of magic into your movie-watching
experience.