[Aiko]

Welcome to the Studio Ghibli Society, where fans can discuss and celebrate some of the most enchanting films ever made.



Studio Ghibli is one of the most important animation studios in the world. Founded by Japanese master animators Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata in the 1980s, it has been responsible for some of the most innovative, distinctive and beautiful animated films ever made, appealing to children and adults alike. There is a Ghibli Museum located in Tokyo, Japan, exhibiting work from the studio.

Featured Works



Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no tani no Naushika) (1984)

Synopsis

One thousand years after the Giant Warriors caused an apocalyptic event known as the seven days of fire, humans are living in constant fear of the Toxic Jungle. This ever-spreading forest is filled with poisonous plants and gigantic monstrous insects; even the very air is deadly. Nausicaa is the kind and wise princess of a small, peaceful country known as the Valley of the Wind, which has so far avoided the spread of the forest. One night a large airship containing one of the Giant Warriors crashes into the valley. The following day soldiers from the powerful nation of Tolmekia invade the Valley of the Wind to reclaim and revive the warrior. As the only one who truly believes that there is a way for humans to live alongside the insects, Nausicaa must find a way to stop the war that now threatens her people and protect the Toxic Jungle before the Tolmekians burn it to the ground.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Tank no shiro Rapyuta) (1986)

Synopsis

Legends tell of a floating island in the sky known as Laputa, upon which is rumoured to be treasure beyond a person’s wildest dreams. Sheeta is an orphan girl who is being hunted down because of her necklace, a rare Levistone, which legend says will lead the way to Laputa. One day she is saved by Pazu, a miner apprentice and also an orphan, and together they set out to escape from her would-be captors. Unfortunately, their friendship must go through endless trials in their quest to hide Laputa's location. What is Sheeta’s mysterious legacy, and what hidden motives do Sheeta’s enemies have in regards to finding Laputa?

My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) (1988)

Synopsis

Satsuki, her younger sister Mei and their father have just moved to their new home in the countryside, where grand adventures await them. One day while playing outside in the garden Mei encounters a small creature and decides to follow it. After chasing it through the bushes Mei eventually finds herself at the base of a large Camphor tree and as she drops through a hole in its roots, she lands on the stomach of a large, sleeping forest spirit named Totoro. The two sisters befriend the gentle spirit and are soon introduced to a world more fantastical than they could ever imagine, from playing with soot spirits to meeting a Catbus, to flying through the air and even making the trees grow. However when Mei disappears, Satsuki must call on the help of her new friends if she wants any hope of being able to find her sister...

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka) (1988)

Synopsis

With their father serving overseas in the Navy towards the end of the World War 2, Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are living as normally as they can. One day during a firebomb raid on the city their mother suffers fatal wounds and the two siblings' lives are turned upside down as they go to live with a relative. After suffering the cruel treatment of their aunt, who makes it clear that their very presence is a nuisance, Seita and Setsuko decide to leave and go to live in an abandoned bomb shelter. With no one else to rely on, Seita and Setsuko try their hardest to live from day to day. Though when food becomes ever more scarce and no one is willing to sell what little provisions they have, life for the pair is increasingly difficult. Then when Setsuko falls ill, Seita begins to realize just how fragile life is...

Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no takkyubin) (1989)

Synopsis

Kiki is a young witch who has just turned thirteen, and as tradition dictates she must now leave the safety of her home for a year to undergo witch training. One clear night, Kiki takes off with her cat Jiji and her mother's broomstick to start her new life, and finds herself in a town near the ocean - but she's disappointed to find that people aren't nearly as friendly as she'd imagined they'd be. With nowhere to stay and no outstanding magical skills besides flying, Kiki begins to wonder if she's come to the right place; but after returning a pacifier to a customer of a local shop, its owner, Osono, offers her a place to stay. Kiki soon decides that she'll start her own delivery service, and with the help of newfound friends she sets forth on a journey to discover who she is and how to make it on her own.

Only Yesterday (Omohide poro poro) (1991)

Synopsis

Taeko is a city-girl, born and raised in Tokyo, who has always held dreams of visiting the countryside. She finally is able to fulfill that dream during a vacation with relatives. Only Yesterday switches from visions of Taeko's 5th grade past, to her present self who is struggling with touch choices and feelings about love, herself, and her future.

Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta) (1992)

Synopsis

Sometimes those who hate themselves are those doomed to survive where others fall. In the case of Porco Rosso, it manifests as being cursed to resemble a pig. In the air he is unmatched though, and in the face of fascism he spits most contemtuosly. Perhaps his humanity can be redeemed, or perhaps not, one would have to watch, would they not?

Ocean Waves (Umi ga kikoeru) (1993)

Synopsis

Ocean Waves is a coming of age tale centered around Taku, an ordinary high school student, his best friend Matsuno, and Rukiko, a reserved outcast who has caught Matsuno's eye. While bounds of friendship are tested, unlikely relationships grow and flourish in this made for television movie.

Pom Poko (Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko) (1994)

Synopsis

In modern Japan, Tokyo is expanding and considerably reducing animals' habitats, including those of the tanuki (raccoon-like creatures). What humanity doesn't know, though, is that tanuki are intelligent creatures, that can talk and even walk on two legs with the power of transformations! To secure their survival, the two combating tanuki clans join forces against mankind in a war they dub 'Pom Poko'! Humans are a difficult adversary, though... can the tanuki open mankind's eyes to the beauty of nature, before their homes are replaced by yet another suburb?

Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo sumaseba) (1995)

Synopsis

Whisper of the Heart is a touching Ghibli slice-of-life story, about a young girl named Shizuku. While riding the train, she notices a fat cat riding alongside her. Following the cat, she finds a shop where she is told an enchanting story of a gold statue named "The Baron". WotH follows Shizuku in her struggles to grow, and her budding love with the shopkeeper's son.

Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) (1997)

Synopsis

With the rise of the Iron Age in feudal Japan, man and nature grow increasingly at odds. As mankind infringes more and more into the kingdom of the beasts, many of the elder animal gods begin to succumb to their rage, cursing themselves as they lash out at rural and urban settlements alike. When a young Ashitaka, hero of his village, is imparted with one of these curses after slaying a crazed god, he forces himself into exile to prevent further harm to his village. As he ventures out into the world, however, he discovers just how dire the straights have become - with man and beast ready to break into all out war, his curse becomes the least of his problems. As both sides teeter dangerously on the side of outright slaughter of one another, Ash¡taka sets his own problems aside and, using his charisma and honor, seeks to quell the hatred before it gets beyond repair - but will he be in time or is he simply delaying the inevitable?

My Neighbours The Yamadas (Hohokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun) (1999)

Synopsis

My Neighbors the Yamadas is a realistic, fun look at a typical (or are they?) Japanese family. The movie is presented in a series of shorts which illustrate how functional (or dysfunctional!) a family can truly be.

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) (2001)

Synopsis

Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new home, when they discover an abandoned amusement park. After Chihiro's family mysteriously turn into pigs, she is thrown into a surreal world of magic and fantasy. Join her as she struggles to survive in the bathhouse of the gods, ruled by an evil witch who has stolen not only her name, but her way back to the real world.

The Cat Returns (Neko no ongaeshi) (2002)

Synopsis

One afternoon on her way home from school, Haru saves a cat from getting run over by a truck and promptly gets the shock of her life when it stands on its hind legs to thank her. That night, she is greeted by a parade of felines who inform Haru that her earlier heroics saved the prince of the Cat Kingdom. Haru suddenly finds herself inundated with gifts of mice and catnip as means of thanks, culminating in the announcement that she will be taken to their kingdom to marry the prince. With no desire to marry Prince Lune, Haru turns to The Baron and Muta from the Cat Bureau for help, but unable to stop them, Haru is swept away by a horde of cats. Can Haru prevent this marriage of inconvenience and return home before she becomes a cat herself?

Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro) (2004)

Synopsis

The responsible orphan Sophie led a relatively normal life, safe within the walls of the hat shop in which she works; for outside, it is rumored, the evil wizard Howl roams the land in his mobile black castle. After a chance and mystical encounter, poor Sophie finds herself transformed by a spell which makes her appear to be an old woman, and thus embarks on an adventure to find Howl’s castle and put an end to her curse. A mystical world of talking flames, sentient scarecrows and magic aplenty awaits those who seek the legendary Howl...

Tales from Earthsea (Gedo senki) (2006)

Synopsis

In the lush fantasy world of Earthsea, dragons and humans no longer live together as one due to the greed of humanity. It is in this world that the young Prince Arren lives – a young man who is dejected, tormented, and afraid of the ultimate goal of life: death. After killing his father and stealing an heirloom sword forged by magic, Arren sets forth with his trusty steed into the unknown countryside, experiencing the joys and darkness of mankind. Along with the powerful mage Sparrowhawk, an unlikely friend and his own personal angst, Arren must rediscover his desire to live while evil forces threaten his precious life's existence.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Gake no Ue no Ponyo) (2008)

Synopsis

Ponyo is a goldfish who lives in the sea, and has an over-protective magician for a father. Soon Ponyo runs away from home and is rescued by a five-year-old boy named Sosuke. As she wants nothing more than to understand what it's like to be a human being, Ponyo uses magic to transform into a human girl, and the two begin to form a special bond. However, this magic results in drastic consequences, and one final test stands in Ponyo's way before she can truly be human. Can Ponyo fulfill her dream, or is she destined to return to the sea?

The Borrower Arrietty (Karigurashi no Arrietty) (2010)

Synopsis

Sho moves into his great aunt's house and soon discovers the presence of tiny people, the Borrowers, living there. A 14-year-old Borrower named Arrietty strives to prove herself by helping her father gather materials that her family needs from Sho's new home. However, Arrietty and Sho meet, breaking the rule that humans must not know about the Borrowers' existence. As Sho and Arrietty's relationship develops, human interference endangers the Borrowers' lives. Arrietty and Sho work together to try and protect the Borrowers' way of life.

Feature films

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Castle in the Sky
Grave of the Fireflies
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Only Yesterday
Porco Rosso
Ocean Waves
Pom Poko
Whisper of the Heart
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Spirited Away
The Cat Returns
Howl's Moving Castle
Tales from Earthsea
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
The Borrower Arrietty

Short films

Ghiblies
Ghiblies Episode 2
Imaginary Flying Machines
Koro's Big Day Out
The Whale Hunt
Mei and the Kittenbus
Looking for a Home
The Day I Harvested a Planet
Water Spider Monmon
The Night of Taneyamagahara
Iblard Jikan

Music videos

On Your Mark
Portable Airport
Space Station No. 9
A Flying City Plan
Doredore no Uta
Piece

Commercials

Sora Iro no Tane
Nandarou
Hotaru No Haku
Kinyou Roadshow
Umacha
Shop-One
House Shokuhin
O-uchi de Tabeyou (Summer Version)
O-uchi de Tabeyou (Winter Version)
Hajimaru yo, Erai Koccha-hen
Kawaraban-hen
Dore Dore Hikkoushi-hen
Risona Ginkou

[mute]

I watched Spirited Away first, then Howl's Moving Castle, then Porco Rosso, then Kiki's delivery Service and finally Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I still intend to watch a few of the others

I think it's amazing; clean, wonderfully dubbed releases of arguably some of the most enchanting anime films ever. All of them that I've watched have touched me. That kind of consistent quality seems pretty rare.

What do you think of them? Any other Ghibli/Miyazaki fans, I can't be the only one . I've got a lot of stick from Charl about them too "it's about a man who was turned into a pig, though we're never told why, who flies an aeroplane" but really there's just something about them. I've been dying to get one of the soundtracks as a ringtone too


Here's a list of Ghibli films, including the more obscure ones and currently unreleased ones:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Grave of the Fireflies
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Only Yesterday
Porco Rosso
I Can Hear the Sea
Pom Poko
Whisper of the Heart
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Spirited Away
The Cat Returns
Howl's Moving Castle
Tales from Earthsea
Ponyo on a Cliff (unreleased)
I Lost My Little Boy (unreleased)

Plus Isao Takahata is planning another, currently unnamed. Also worth note (and currently both UK licensed and sold in most places where you can buy the true Ghibli films) are Hols: Prince of the Sun (director Isao Takahata's film debut) and The Castle of Cagliostro (Hayao Miyazaki's film debut). Both are pretty awesome.

list courtesy of AngryJellyfish

[Kater Murr]

Are these the ones where they dub over the Japanese voices in American ones?

It worked for Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, the rest - na-ah. No. Grave of the Fireflies was MURDERED by those voices. Anyway, they're all great films, particularly the three that I've mentioned and My Neighbour Totoro.

[mute]

(Original post by The Macabre Vincent Price...)
Are these the ones where they dub over the Japanese voices in American ones?

It worked for Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, the rest - na-ah. No. Grave of the Fireflies was MURDERED by those voices. Anyway, they're all great films, particularly the three that I've mentioned and My Neighbour Totoro.

The ones I mentioned are all dubbed in English/American, Nausicaa had Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman and Shia Lebeouf giving voices. But unlike some dubs I've seen *shudder* it's actually done well, although occasionally it feels as though the mouth doesn't line up with the voice, only rarely.

I haven't seen Grave of the Fireflies, can't remember if I intend to watch it or not. I've been avoiding my neighbour totoro because it sounds kind of sad, but then maybe that's my mistake, I knew very little about the others when I watched them.

Even the songs in Kiki's Delivery Service are English, which surprised me a bit, but it worked. Most of them are online at alluc.org if you want to watch the others.

[Kater Murr]

(Original post by mute)
The ones I mentioned are all dubbed in English/American, Nausicaa had Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman and Shia Lebeouf giving voices. But unlike some dubs I've seen *shudder* it's actually done well, although occasionally it feels as though the mouth doesn't line up with the voice, only rarely.

I haven't seen Grave of the Fireflies, can't remember if I intend to watch it or not. I've been avoiding my neighbour totoro because it sounds kind of sad, but then maybe that's my mistake, I knew very little about the others when I watched them.

Even the songs in Kiki's Delivery Service are English, which surprised me a bit, but it worked. Most of them are online at alluc.org if you want to watch the others.

No, I've seen most of the ghibli films.

Anyway - Totoro, sad? No! I'll explain. My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies were originally released in Japan in conjunction, because Grave of the Fireflies was such a depressing bloody film that the creators thought that releasing the much more light-hearted Totoro with it would alleviate some of the sadness.

Both are fantastic, and even if you're not inclined towards sad films, I'd recommend giving Fireflies a turn - even the renound film critic Roger Ebert considers it one of the best 'war' films ever made.

But, yes, good thread you've got here

[Truered]

Studio Ghibli was what got me into anime- whether that is good or bad is up to question

Film4 had a Ghibli season last summer and I decided to watch some, despite myself dismissing a talking pig as stupid and planning on only seeing the more "mature" Ghibli films.

I went on to greatly enjoy Porco Rosso. I didn't mind many of the dubs, but then again I'm not one of those rabid all English=bad!!11 anime fans. Though not too keen on the main characters, Mark Hamill as the villain in Laputa added to the experience. Nausicaa is also a special film to me. The music at times is cheesy 80s stuff, but I liked it so much I brought and read the seven volume manga it was based on.

I find the Ghibli have a sense of wonder to them not many films have nowaday- it seems something childlike, the wonder I had when I was younger and not so pessimistic, which is why I enjoy them- enchanting if occasionally odd tales

As I type this I can look across at the seven Ghibli DVDs I own- Spirited away is a must.

Also Grave of the fireflies is something you should at least watch once.

[mute]

(Original post by Truered)
Studio Ghibli was what got me into anime- whether that is good or bad is up to question

Film4 had a Ghibli season last summer and I decided to watch some, despite myself dismissing a talking pig as stupid and planning on only seeing the more "mature" Ghibli films.

I went on to greatly enjoy Porco Rosso. I didn't mind many of the dubs, but then again I'm not one of those rabid all English=bad!!11 anime fans. Though not too keen on the main characters, Mark Hamill as the villain in Laputa added to the experience. Nausicaa is also a special film to me. The music at times is cheesy 80s stuff, but I liked it so much I brought and read the seven volume manga it was based on.

I find the Ghibli have a sense of wonder to them not many films have nowaday- it seems something childlike, the wonder I had when I was younger and not so pessimistic, which is why I enjoy them- enchanting if occasionally odd tales

As I type this I can look across at the seven Ghibli DVDs I own- Spirited away is a must.

Also Grave of the fireflies is something you should at least watch once.

okay okay, you two have convinced me that I should watch Grave of the Fireflies.

I loved porco rosso, I decided it was probably a guy thing, a gruff flying pig. It all seems ludicrous, 'a pig's gotta fly' but the sense of wonder and the way the characters, scenery and again the films score all go towards making it cool.

some of the music in nausicaa was pretty lame, especially the opening jungle sequence, I was desperately hoping it wouldn't all be like that and either it got more subtle or I just stopped worrying about it

Kiki's delivery service was nicely musicked too, even if it did have quite possibly the most immature premise. A witch and her talking cat go to a big city where she flies around on her broomstick delivering things.

The only one I've bought so far is Porco Rosso, Charl d/led Spirited Away for me, someone lent me Howl's moving Castle and I foud the others online, but I might end up buying the DVDs anyway, just so they're always there.

[AngryJellyfish]

Can't comment too much on the English dubs, but those that I have heard weren't that bad. Grave of the Fireflies is a must see, as is Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke for those who haven't seen them yet. Howl's, Totoro, Spirited Away, Porco Rosso, Pom Poko, My Neighbours the Yamadas and Whisper of the Heart are pretty good too, but having said that I've yet to see a bad Ghibli film (Nope, I haven't watched Earthsea yet, I'll reserve judgement on that for now).

[Sephirona]

Grave of the Fireflies is a must see.

[Metal_Gear]

(Original post by Sephirona)
Grave of the Fireflies is a must see.

Agreed, it is very sad and emotional, but overall brilliant.

I love the Studio Ghibli films, I own most of the collection on DVD.

When my kids grow up, they will watch Miyazaki films, not Disney. Period.

[vin]

I havnt seen grave of the fireflies, but ive seen most of the films, my favourite would be princess mononokefor one reason because it doesnt pick a side and lets you make form your own opinion

[SoundDevastation]

I have Laputa, Nausicaa, Howls Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Spirited away... i love them all. Im guessing the vesions i have are the disney versions.. got them all recently from HMV, but i watch them subtitled insted of dubbed. Dubbing takes away some of the 'magic' IMO (and i HATE princess mononoke's voice in the dubbed version!)

[Sephirona]

We could agree that dubbed sucks.

[vin]

Not all dubs are awful but i always prefer the subbed version

[*pitseleh*]

(Original post by SoundDevastation)
I have Laputa, Nausicaa, Howls Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Spirited away... i love them all. Im guessing the vesions i have are the disney versions.. got them all recently from HMV, but i watch them subtitled insted of dubbed. Dubbing takes away some of the 'magic' IMO (and i HATE princess mononoke's voice in the dubbed version!)

That's Claire Danes, I believe.

I like watching them subtitled, but I'm not so much of a purist that I despise the dubbed versions (in fact, I really like them) - I actually think it's great that such brilliant animation is (via dubbing) able to reach wider audiences, who may have been put off by subtitles.

[Sephirona]

(Original post by vin)
Not all dubs are awful but i always prefer the subbed version

DBZ could only pull it off

[Logan]

of all the dubbe releases howls, spirited and mononoke were all well done. Although id still prefer the subbed versions... i like it raw

[vin]

(Original post by Sephirona)
DBZ could only pull it off

hmm i wouldnt say that exactly

[Excalibur]

Well, I hate the dubbed versions - I think it takes away most of the magic and to me it feels like a different, lesser film because of it. But then I grew up with the Japanese versions of the Ghibli films and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to them, so maybe that's why I feel they are murdered when dubbed! Incidentally - I think all foreign films should be subtitled because that's how the film was intended to be by the directors. People shouldn't be put off from subtitles; you don't even notice them after a while (like in Pan's Labyrinth or The Lives of Others).

Anyway, my absolute favourite has to be Laputa. Again there's probably a lot of sentimental reasons to it rather than whether it was technically the best, but I feel it has the most magic out of all of them. The characters are memorable, the music beautiful and the story is just simply so imaginative. For similar reasons I really love Nausicaa as well, for the real 'fantasy' element.

I think Ghibli has three kinds of films: the truly 'fantasy' ones (Nausicaa, Laputa, Howl), the ones that depict reality (Whisper of the Heart, Fireflies etc) and the ones that are a mixture of both (Kiki, Totoro, Spirited Away, Mononoke). For me, personally, I prefer the first type of films because that's what I think Ghibli does best. Still, Totoro has a special place in my heart because I grew up with it and they are so damn cute

I think that the Ghibli films are losing their magic a bit, actually, as the years go on. I think Spirited Away is really overrated (graphics etc stunning but the story itself?), and as for Howl, after the first 30 minutes I thought was terrible! The story was a real mess and for once, I feel the original book (by Diana Wynne Jones) was better. But then, the vast majority of people seem to think Spirited Away and Howl were the best films, so........

And as for the music - I love it. I know the majority of the lyrics by heart (in Japanese ofc ).

In short - Ghibli films has formed my childhood and will stay with me for life. I'm so glad to find other people who love them too!

[caraniel]

I'm a subs purist normally (and I am in that faction that proclaim 'Dubs = murder' ), but in all honesty the Ghibli dubs are not the worst in the world, but saying that I still prefer to watch them subtitled.

I havent seen as many of the Ghibli films as I would like to (planning on investing in more soon) but I do own Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howls & Fireflies and all are breathtaking.

Spirited Away has a special place in my heart as the 1st Ghibli film I ever watched (I know shame on me - been an anime fan for over 8 years! ) I remember being completely blown away by it. Ghibli's films just fill you with this sense of pure wonderment and joy - its so different from the tweeness you find in a Disney film and as such is a breath of fresh air.

Everyone should experience a Ghibli film at least once in their lifetime, they are just that good.