With the announcement that Studio Ghibli is going to cease production on feature films we take a look back at eight of the best films that they produced. So get ready for some serious magical realism, their world is not what you think it is.
First on the list is Hayao Miyazaki’s 1986 masterpiece Castle in the Sky. This is about a flying castle that is hidden from the world. Pretty much foreshadowing BioShock: Infinite.
My Neighbor Totoro is about a girl and her friend, it just so happens that her friend is a forest spirit. This isn’t just any forest spirit, but one that uses a Catbus for transportation.
Kiki’s Delivery Service focuses on a witch that just wants to make a living. She does deliveries aided by her flying broom. It’s like the most boring version of Quidditch.
Princess Mononoke is another great film that features forest spirits. This means you’re going to have more than your fill with giant wolves, not a horrible thing to get used to.
Miyazaki’s 2001 film Spirited Away is a beautiful fantasy film, but honestly that can be said about pretty much everything he’s done. If you haven’t seen this, go out right now and rent it or steal it.
Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle is all about fantasy creatures and their mobile homes. In this movie a witch curses a young girl by transforming her into a very old woman, just what every young girl wants.
Ponyo, another Miyazaki classic, is kind of like The Little Mermaid, but just different enough to make it Miyazaki’s. In this tale a goldfish turns human because it drank a little boy’s blood.
The Wind Rises is a fictionalized biography of a very talented Japanese designer. You will get to see what made the man that designed some of the best aircraft Japan used in WWII.
