As she said during the podcast, I’m not going to ramble on for TOO long about these movies (I do have a word limit, after all) but I did want to highlight some of my favorites.

Let it be said that I think Hayao Miyazaki is a genius and I have never watched a movie written/directed/produced by him that I DIDN’T like. He has such a way of making the mundane aspects of life into something magical.

That being said, here are a few (in no particular order) that really stand out to me.

“Howl’s

PHOTO PROVIDED Chihiro is pictured with a river spirit in “Spirited Away.”

Moving

Castle” (2004)

The screenplay for “Howl’s Moving Castle” was written and directed by Miyazaki and it was produced by Toshio Suzuki.

I could (and probably will in the future) write an entire article on this movie alone, and I talked at length about this film during the podcast, so I will stay brief for this. “Howl’s Moving Castle” is one of my favorite books and definitely is one of the best book-to-movie overhauls I’ve seen. I typically hate when movie adaptations make changes from the book, Miyazaki does it in a way that works. Though the movie makes SIGNIFICANT changes to the plotline from the book (which I speak about in the podcast), I think it does so in a way that adds to the story rather than takes away from it. If you are a book purist you will probably not like this movie, but I definitely recommend viewing it as its own entity rather than squish it into the box the book provides.

If you haven’t already watched it, I highly recommend it.

“Grave of the Fireflies” (1988)

Though I didn’t talk about it much during the podcast, it would be an incredible oversight if I didn’t include a slightly more in-depth look at “Grave of the Fireflies” on this list. This is also the only movie on the list that was not directed or produced by Miyazaki. “Grave of the Fireflies” directed and written by Isao Takahata and produced by Toru Hara.

The movie is set in the city of Kobe, Japan, and tells the story of war orphans Seita and Setsuki who struggle to survive during the final months of the Pacific War. This film is ranked as one of the greatest war films of all time and is definitely a must-see.

This is one of those movies that you watch as a kid and don’t really understand, but get your heart broken as an adult. Have your tissues ready because these kids cannot catch a break for the whole movie. It is gut wrenching.

“Arrietty” (2010)

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, written by Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa and produced by Suzuki, “Arrietty” is a really fun spin on the novel “The Borrowers” written by Mary Norton in 1952. Both the film and the book are about a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls of your home and borrow items in order to survive.

This movie is often criticized for the way it ended, but I was always happy with the ending! Instead of a black and white “good or bad” ending, it leaves the viewer to interpret where the family ended up.

As with all Studio Ghibli films, “Arrietty” has a beautiful balance between reality and fantasy, bringing a dreamy quality to something mundane. I always enjoyed fantasy stories with smaller-than-life characters — like Thumbelina or Disney’s “Pixie Hollow” fairies — and this movie definitely doesn’t disappoint.

“Spirited Away” (2001)

Written and directed by Miyazaki and produced by Toshio Suzuki, “Spirited Away” is a classic watch for any Ghibli fan. This movie became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a total of 31.68 billion yen ($305 million) which was only surpassed 19 years later with the “Demon Slayer” movie.

One of the big takeaways from “Spirited Away” is the commentary on environmentalism. Pollution is a big point in the movie for two different characters — one who is just a visitor and one who is trapped at the bathhouse. Consumerism is also a huge part of the movie, with the parents of the main character, Chihiro, eating food that didn’t belong to them and going through a metamorphosis as a result.

“Spirited Away” is a visually stunning movie that I definitely recommend you watch if you haven’t already.

“Kiki’s

Delivery

Service” (1989)

This movie is the only one listed on the Studio Ghibli wikipedia page as being written, directed AND produced by Miyazaki, and the film does a fantastic job of tackling a coming of age plotline.

The story revolves around Kiki, a young witch who embraces tradition and embarks on a journey to find her place in the world with her cat Jiji.

She eventually finds a new place to live and work in a new town, and makes her own delivery business. But she quickly discovers that it’s not as easy as it looks.

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” also offers some great commentary on the concepts of tradition and loss — she loses her powers and has to grapple with who she is without them.

“Ponyo” (2008)

Last but not least, “Ponyo.” Directed and written by Miyazaki and produced by Suzuki, this film tells the story of Ponyo, a little goldfish who is trapped in a glass jar and washed ashore from her ocean home. A little boy named Sosuke saves her and the pair bond. Ponyo, who desires to be a human girl, licks Sosuke’s blood and gains the ability to change into a human.

This movie was rated well in the box office, but was reported to be “not Miyazaki’s best film.”

Personally, I loved Ponyo! The animation is impressive and I always thought the storyline was really cute. It always felt like a unique take on “The Little Mermaid” to me.

I could talk for pages upon pages about Miyazaki’s storytelling and the incredible way Studio Ghibli captures the world, but alas: the word count.

I hope these short descriptors have intrigued you enough to look into these films for yourself! Many of them can be streamed on Max or Amazon Prime Video.

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Breanna Hanley is a reporter for The Express.