Spirited Away

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

2001

*****

2001's Spirited Away was Studio Ghibli's big one. They had a huge following already but Hayao Miyazaki's fifth feature animation with the studio was the one that made them a household name and the film went on to win countless awards, including the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and an Oscar for best animated film at the 75th Academy Awards. By this point Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli were in high demand, Disney paid for 10% of the production cost just to secure first refusal for the international distribution rights. It is certainly one of their greatest films, although it covers similar themes to some of the studio's older films. There are elements of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Pinocchio (with an Orwellian 1984 twist) but the story really is 100% from the mind of Miyazaki. Inspired by holidays spent with friends who had teenage daughters, Miyazaki would spend time with the girls and realized they had no good role models. He would read the teen magazines that they would leave behind in their guest house and become frustrated that the girl's lives were essentially dictated to them, unlike boys who were encouraged to explore and push themselves. Miyazaki had made films for children before but not specifically for 10-14 year old girls and he decided he wanted to make a positive film just for them. Each character in the film can said to resemble a different aspect of society and something one encounters in youth. Chihiro, a young 10 year old girl and the film's main character, is on a journey of self-discovery. It is a fantasy adventure on the outside but this is really about the rights of passage and coming of age of young girls. Miyazaki is reaching out to these girls and giving them an alternative viewpoint in life. This has had a huge impact, with Japanese girls now adopting a range of various popular alternatives, I can't help but think Miyazaki is partly responsible for them now being a hugely creative global force. This has been hijacked somewhat but suffice to say, Spirited Away's magic has been hugely influential. The appeal isn't just met by teenage girls, the underlying message that you alone can make things happen - go out a do whatever it is you need to do, has been picked up by kids and adults around the world. I personally love the metaphor used in regards to Chihiro's parents. After they are trapped in a spirit world, her parents turn into pigs after scoffing loads of food - acting like pigs. Chihiro then tries to find a way to get her parents changed back into humans, at least, that what it looks like on the face of it. The reality is that the film encourages the youth to not turn into their parents, to find their own paths. Again, the Studio/Miyazaki manage to project these messages, through loud and colourful fantasy, with the greatest of subtlety. Sublime animation, rightly regarded as one of the best ever made.

Howl's Moving Castle

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

2004

***

I remember reading Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle back when I was in school. I was bewitched by the original cover artwork that made it look like a sci-fi fantasy horror, which I was really into at the time. However, it was not the Isaac Asimov/Philip K. Dick novel I had thought it might be, or the Joseph Millard/Andre Norton book I really hoped it would be. I remembered little about it other than the lesson that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. So when in 2004 Studio Ghibli released Howl's Moving Castle, I thought maybe it was a coincidence or maybe it was named out of tribute, as Hayao Miyazaki often does for those that have inspired him. But no, this is an adaptation, Miyazaki clearly saw something in the story that no one else did and I have to say it is a remarkable achievement. That said, I didn't like it all that much, especially compared to Ghibli's other films. I thought that the story was far too similar to some of Ghibli/Miyazaki's earlier films and I thought many of the themes had already been covered by them in a much more creative manner. Miyazaki has declared that this is his favourite film of his, personally it is by far my least favourite of his, even though his underlying themes appeal. They're not initially obvious though, I did see the film as anti-war in places but he has declared many times that his version of Howl's Moving Castle is a direct reference to the US's invasion of Iraq in 2003. Miyazaki was 'enraged' by the war and said he wanted to make a subliminal film about it that would be hated in America. It wasn't hated but it is no one’s favourite other than his, so it kind of backfired but was also somewhat of a success at the same time. The original book dealt with the class system and challenged gender stereotyping but the film concentrates more with themes of old age. Stop fighting and cherish life is the overall message but it does seem to take a rather convoluted route in getting it across. I think a really strong sci-fi fantasy has been weighted down somewhat with too many musings and moral preaching, something Ghibli has often done but their beautiful subtlety that is something of a signature of theirs is absent without leave. To be blunt, I didn't care much for the style or animation either. However, I did like many of the various characters and I liked Miyazaki's intentions. He has made a rather dull book into a exciting and mysterious adventure so credit due. He is a visionary and this is another great addition to his work but it isn't the genius that we've become used to.

Ponyo

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

2008

****

Although 2008's Ponyo had the widest distribution in Ghibli's history at the time and was met with critical acclaim across the board, it is still never considered as one of the studios best. I think this is somewhat unfair, as I believe it is one of the studios last real examples of magic. All of Ghibli's films are beautiful but no other theirs is as cute as Ponyo is. Ponyo, the main character is utterly adorable as a little goldfish who wants to become a little girl. She is the daughter of a once human wizard who turned himself and his family into fish after becoming detached and fearful of the human world. One day Ponyo decides to go on an adventure and hitches a ride on a jellyfish but becomes trapped after an incident with a trawler. She is eventually saved by a little boy on the shore who gives her name and keeps her as a pet. Once Ponyo's father discovers she's missing, he asks the wave spirits to find and fetch her, which they do, leaving Ponyo and the little boy Sosuke both heartbroken. Ponyo then argues that she wants to be a human girl because she loves Sosuke and due to her magic she begins to transform into a girl and swims back to shore. She finds Sosuke to his great surprise and everything is good until the universal balance of things is disrupted. This is where the film's wonderful mythology and fantasy come in to play, as before it just seemed like a very cute version of The Little Mermaid.  Ponyo seemed to be a rather personal film for Hayao Miyazaki, as he drew nearly all the waves and water in the film as well as Ponyo herself and the character of Sosuke was modelled on Miyazaki's own son when he was of that age. A record 170,000 separate images were drawn during production. While there are other Ghibli film's higher on my favourites list, when it comes to Ghibli characters Ponyo is certainly in my top five, somewhere between Totoro, Jiji (Kiki's Delivery Service) and Seita and Setsuko (Grave of the Fireflies). Whereby I usually love most Ghibli films, Ponyo is the one I adore.

Porco Rosso

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1992

*****

Porco Rosso is one of those wonderfully bizarre mix of genres that only Hayao Miyazaki could come up with. The question of which is one's favourite Studio Ghibli film comes up a lot and it is almost impossible to answer. I would say My Neighbour Totoro is certainly a contender, Grave of the Fireflies is definitely their most striking film and I would find it hard to choose between Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Whisper of theHeart but generally, if I want to sit down to enjoy a good Ghibli film at the end of a hard day at work, I'm more than likely to reach for Porco Rosso first. It is the story of an ex-World War I fighter pilot who now works as a bounty hunter, policing the Adriatic Sea, looking for sky pirates. The film is narrated by the pilot (and our protagonist) very much in the same style as the 1940's film-noirs, particularly as is seen in Howard Hawk's The Big Sleep. It is essentially a Japanese film, set in Italy, with a Philip Marlowe type character, who flies a plane and is a pig. Like I said, only from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki. Porco Rosso (or Red Pig/Crimson Pig) started life as a Manga written by Miyazaki and the film almost seems like an extended continuation of the story, although it was intended originally to be a short cartoon to be used for advertising purposes on Japanese Airlines. It really does feel like an old aviation film, mixed with film noir and a bit of swashbuckling adventure thrown in. The only real mythical element is the fact that Porco Rosso, who was a human called Marco Pagot, is turned into a pig due to a curse. Porco Rosso is the first Ghibli film that really let Miyazaki explore his two great passions; Aviation and politics. Miyazaki would go on to make his big Aviation masterpiece in 2013's The Wind Rises, inspired by his father who worked in Airplane manufacturing during World War II and although it angered the far right in Japan, Porco Rosso was a little less subtle. When the sky pirates are hired by the newly formed government, Rosso quips "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist" and goes on to shoot them all out of the sky. I love the characters, the format, the action and the humour, it is Hayao Miyazaki at his most light-hearted and at his most serious in many respect. The underlying message of redemption is pretty subtle but it's very effective. He has been critical of it himself in the past but of all of Ghibli's films, this is the only one he has considered making a follow up film to. Even though I thought the ending was perfect, I would love that to happen.

Kiki's Delivery Service

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1989

*****

One of Studio Ghibli bigger hits, Kiki's Delivery Service is actually based on the book of the same name by Eiko Kadono. I found the original to be that little bit darker than Hayao Miyazaki's version, and while I like both, I still find it to be an unusual adaptation, given the tone of the book and its illustrations. It's rather telling that this was the first Ghibli film to be distributed in the west by Walt Disney, as it certainly feels more like one of theirs rather than one of Ghibli's. Kiki is a young Witch but this never feels like a Witchy sort of story, it's bright and colourful and Kiki certainly isn't of the green-skinned and wart-ridden variety. The Witch thing is really just a tool to portray a meaning, as well as giving the character the opportunity to fly and talk to her pet cat. Witches appeal to younger audiences for various different reasons, Kiki appeals because instead of using her powers selfishly, she uses them for a better purpose. Miyazaki has since said that Kiki explores the gulf between independence and reliance in teenage Japanese girls. Witches have to adhere to rules, just as everyone does, but even though she has powers she also feels isolated and struggles for her own independence. She uses her power of flight and magic to better herself and move on to adulthood, a far cry from what you expect from Witches but it captures the very real growing pains and vulnerability felt by youth in general. There are times during the film whereby Kiki loses her power of flight and can no longer talk to her cat Jiji during bouts of self-doubt, when her confidence takes a hit. This is a great lesson for kids in understanding that vulnerability is an important aspect of self-realization and not a reflection of failure. I suggest this is more Disney than the other films but I say that only because of the style it adopts, it's still very much a Ghibli fantasy and Disney's preachings are generally a little less accurate than this. Kiki's Delivery Service is far more of a character driven animation than the other Ghibli films. The story is fairly simple, which is half of the appeal, Kiki herself is quite complex and far from being two dimensional. Similar Ghibli themes arise and it is easy to see some of the studio's films that were made before and after in one way of another but the mood and structure is something pretty unique among their animations. It's not just an adult friendly cartoon for the kids, it is a cartoon FOR the kids, something that will mean something to them as well as enjoy. I believe it to be something rather special, although everything that is great about it is also rather subtle. Jiji the talking cat was enough for me to love it, everything else is an added bonus. I know they've said that BeWitched was the inspiration but I can't help but think Kiki was responsible for Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

Princess Mononoke

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1997

*****

Princess Mononoke is a  faultless masterpiece, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli at their very best. Exploring similar themes to that of 1983's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,  Princess Mononoke is a sci-fi fantasy adventure with environmental issues central to its story. However, unlike  Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke is set in the late Muromachi period (between 1336 and 1573) and deals mainly in mythology rather than technology. It is the first of Ghibli's film to explore more violent themes with a much darker tone. A young Emishi warrior and last prince of his people named Ashitaka finds himself caught between a battle between the gods of nature and fellow humans who are consuming the planet's resources at an accelerated rate. Miyazaki first came up with the idea of a Princess living in the forest back in 1970 but suffered from writers block. Elements of his original idea were used in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and also in 1988's My Neighbor Totoro but after another decade of ideas, he finally reached his final draft and it was well worth the time spent. Were Ghibli films are either adaptations or a mix of influences, Princess Mononoke is rich with original ideas and medieval Japanese mythology. It also explores ancient and modern ideologies when it comes to stigma and marginalizing certain groups. Sexuality and disability are the two main themes here and are represented by prostitutes and leprosy, two themes predominant in historical writing/scriptures, whether religious or not, these can be found in all cultures. The overall story isn't a clear cut case of good vs evil either, with an ambiguous moral conflict between preservation and development, Princess Mononoke suggests that there are always two sides of every conflict and there is good and bad in all of us. It's pretty subjective and is an interesting and intelligent look at war from the view point of an anti-war studio. It marked yet another ground breaking chapter in Ghibli's history and for my money I think it is their joint best film (with about four other titles I can think of). Animation at it's most beautiful, storytelling at it's most magical and Ghibli at their sharpest. It's bizarre to think that FernGully was more popular at the box office and was made only five years earlier. 

My Neighbour Totoro

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1988

*****

Picking a favourite Ghibli film is like asking a parent of identical quadruplets which of their children is their favourite. It's almost impossible but if I was forced to choose, I would have to say Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbour Totoro wins by a whisker. I don't think I'm alone either, because when you look at Studio Ghibli's huge range of global merchandise, Totoro Soft toys seem to be the best seller. You can pretty much buy anything with either Totoro or Catbus on them and you can even buy a giant Totoro Bed which I have promised myself I will buy one day. The studio have adopted Totoro as their company logo, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the film and the character. It has topped so many animation polls, it's not only considered Ghibi's most popular but it is also regarded as one of the greatest animations of all time and rightfully so. It's a story of a university professor who moves with his two young daughters to the countryside to be closer to the hospital his wife is staying at after suffering with a long illness. The big empty house soon revels many mystery to the two girls who are often left to their own devises why their father works or visits the hospital. They discover a race of dust creatures (or Soot spirits) called Susuwatari. One day, the younger daughter, Mei (possibly the cutest cartoon character of all time), discovers a furry forest spirit and follows it into the woods were she discovers a similar looking but much bigger spirit and calls it Totoro, as that is the sound it makes when it sleeps. Mei falls asleep on Totoro's chest (now a memorable scene) but when her sister Satsuki finds her she is asleep on the ground. Satsuki becomes frustrated that she can't see Totoro but their father explains that forest spirits only reveal themselves when they think you are ready. A rather wonderful scene follows where the two girls wait for their fathers bus in the rain but it doesn't show up. Totoro reveals himself to Satsuki who is carrying her sleeping sister and keeps them both company, giving the girls seeds to plant. The girl wake the following day but are unsure if it had all been a dream although they find their planted seems had sprouted. The two girls worry about their mother's health and after an argument little Mei decides to walk to the hospital herself. Her disappearance causes a panic in the village and a search is called. Satsuki runs to Totoro and asks him to help with the search. Delighted to have been asked, Totoro calls his friend the Catbus (a giant Cat the shape of a bus) who takes her straight to Mei and then takes both girls on a magical journey to their mother’s hospital, where they leave corn at her bedside. Lots of different meanings have been associated with this, the real life Sayama Incident being one of the more famous ones whereby a girl went missing, close to where this film is set, and was found dead by her sister who later killed herself in grief. There is a way of thinking that suggests the two girls are actually dead and Totoro is a spirit helping them come to terms with it. It's an idea rejected by Ghibli but it's still rather nice. The fact that My Neighbour Totoro was released at the same time as Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies perhaps led people into thinking Ghibli had certain darker alternative meanings but Takahata and Miyazaki are very different story tellers. The double billing of both these films together has been referred to as one of the most moving and remarkable double bills ever offered to a cinema audience in film history, which I can't help but agree with. Both films are the two Ghibli directors at their very best. My Neighbour Totoro is one of the most magical films of all time, a superb classic and one of the main reasons that everybody loves Ghibli the way they do.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (AKA Castle in the Sky)

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1986

*****

Laputa: Castle in the Sky represents the very first official Studio Ghibli film and it remains one of their best. With references and influences from The Bible, Hindu mythology, classic fantasy literature (Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels being the most obvious) and the Welsh Minor's Strike of 1984, Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a unique and varied adventure that raised the bar as far as adventure/fantasy animation went. It also helped the medium to become far more main-stream, although western distributors just couldn't seem to get their heads round it. When released in the UK and United States, the title was changed, more background sound effects were added and the film's score was lengthened and atmospheric silent scenes were drowned in booming orchestral pieces that just didn't suit the overall feel of the story. The main character Sheena became a mother figure to the Pirates in the original story, in the westernized dubbed version, Sheena became potential romantic interest for the Pirates, even though she is a very young girl. Thankfully updated versions correct this but all of the original references to Gulliver's Travels (apart from the name Laputa) and also Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, which I understand to be honest. The changes were an eye-opener to Hayao Miyazaki and the rest of the studio and after Miyazaki's first film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was cut to ribbons and renamed by New World Pictures, Ghibli began their 'no cuts' policy and became very protective of their work from then on. Laputa: Castle in the Sky set a precedent to how all Ghibli films were to be made from then on, from work ethics, budgets and time-frames. It also set the bar for which all future films would have to match, although only a handful have really achieved. Its mix of sci-fi and fantasy is wonderful and full of adventure. It has moments of tremendous action and also awe-inspiring beauty. The animation is superb and the film is littered with little special moments that I had never seen in a cartoon before and it took my breath away. It's something were now used to with the studio and something they generally always deliver, I loved Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind but for me this is where the magic really began.

The Wind Rises

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

2013

*****

The Wind Rises is a glorious addition to the Studio Ghibli collection but also a sad one, as this is to be the last film directed by studio founder, Hayao Miyazaki, who has arguably made the best of the Ghibli films and is one of the world’s greatest animators. The Wind Rises is a fictionalised biopic of Dr. Jiro Horikoshi who designed aircraft in Japan, most famously the Mitsubishi A6M Zero that was used by the army in the Second World War. The Jiro in the film designs aircraft for the armed forces but is totally against War, this was true in life but is where the similarity ends. It's an odd thing to do really, making a fictitious biography of a real person but ethics aside, it truly is something wonderful and never defamatory. There is a dreamlike peace about Hayao Miyazaki's films and never so much as in his final masterpiece. As with many of his film, this was a huge passion of the great directors, one that turned into something of an obsession, the pressure of it being his last film only emphasising his person strain (captured in the fascinating Ghibli documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness). His passion of airplanes comes from his father who built aircraft and can be seen in many of his past films. It is as visually stunning as you'd expect from the studio, a little like Porco Rosso in style (although Miyazaki has since stated that he dislikes the film), aviation being an obvious passion of the director. However, the usual mystical fantasy and playful style of the director is absent in his last film, this is one of the serious Ghibli films, which aren't always the most popular. There is a strong element of fantasy though, instead of mythical creatures we have Giovanni Battista Caproni, another real aircraft designer and possible influence on Horikoshi. Both designers meet in each other’s dreams and dance along the wings of their own aircraft. This is pure Miyazaki fantasy and him, for the very last time, exploring the balance of reality and fantasy quite perfectly. His swansong is an unsurprising masterpiece but didn’t come without controversy. It is seen as being an anti-war film, which in many respects it is and Miyazaki’s outspoken disdain for Prime Minister Shinzo has seen him ridiculously labelled a traitor. To his worldwide legion of fans he will be sadly missed but what a wonderful legacy he has left.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1984

****

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was the film that launched Studio Ghibli, although it isn't technically a Studio Ghibli. The Castle of Cagliostro didn't do that well at the box office and Hayao Miyazaki was soon looking for another project. This is when he was approached and encouraged by Toshio Suzuki, who was editor of Manga magazine Animage at the time, to keep going along the same vein and draw Manga cartoons for him. Miyazaki took his advice and although reluctant at first, agreed to develop his ideas into a film and after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a success it marked the beginning of a beautiful working relationship and the animation studio that is loved around the world. Without wanting to sound obvious, it is the perfect introduction to both Miyazaki and Ghibli. The story is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy which incorporates elements of Lord of the Rings, Earthsea (which was later developed into a Ghibli film), Brian Aldiss's Hothouse, Issaac Asimov's Nightfall, as well as Japanese folktales, Homer's Odyssey and a bit of Buddhism (the central idea was developed further years later in Ghibli's highly popular Princess Mononoke). Quite the rich and eclectic mix of ideas and styles but this is very much a work of Miyazaki, who is a genre unto himself. The animation is vivid, colourful, highly detailed and absolutely stunning, Manga suddenly came to life and the world of animation was never the same again, with its popularity soaring soon after. The visuals, themes and music are all sublime and of a high quality that became quite typical of the studio and Miyazaki's work. This style of animation became quite popular in the west as a result of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind but production distributors didn't really know how to market it, the truth is they really didn't have to but New World Pictures bought it, cut it to ribbons taking out all the important aspects such as the environmental issues and what each character represented and renamed it Warriors of the Wind. The narrative was completely lost and it made no sense at all and as a result Miyazaki enforced a 'no cuts' policy when creating Ghibli with his colleagues. This was integral to the studios on-going popularity and has had a big impact in the transfer of popular eastern culture in the west and not just in the animation world. It is hard to overlook the influence and impact Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has had in the world of cinema, comics and motion animation. The birth of the most gentle of revolutions.

The Castle of Cagliostro

Dir: Hayao Miyazaki

1979

***

The Castle of Cagliostro is Hayao Miyazaki's first full length animated feature and very much the beginnings of Studio Ghibli, even though it is based on a well established MANGA series and character. It's an action packed adventure, full of wonderful ideas, an animated delight but more importantly, it's Miyazaki blue print for Studio Ghibli. You can see so much of his later work here, the influence is quite evident. The characters Arsene Lupin III and Daisuke Jigen are a great double act, but this is a very different version of them. Some of the original comics are quite dark, indeed this is when MANGA became more focused on an adult market with quite explicit depictions of sex and violence and a questionably dark sense of humour. This is very much a Miyazaki family-friendly version, which although a huge disappointment for hard-core fans, something of a revelation to everyone else; feature cartoons can be just as good as live action films. I'd like to see a more authentic animated version of Lupin III but I'm not going to hold my breath. However, while I really enjoyed The Castle of Cagliostro it really isn't Miyazaki at his best, it is just an echo of what was about to come. The gates were now open and the possibilities endless. While it isn't a Sudio Ghibli film, it is an interesting beginning and a historically significant film in the world of feature animations. Interestingly, the English dubbed version has Bob Bergen of as the voice of Lupin. Bergen is the voice behind Wembley in Fraggle Rock, Luke Skywalker in the video games and Porky Pig and Tweety Bird, while Tasuo Yamada, the original voice of Lupin, was Clint Eastwood's voice in every film of his screen in Japan.