Ok, so I've never watched a Studio Gbibli film before now and I've decided to rememdy that by watching Castle in the Sky. I know nothing about the Ghibli films, only that Tales of Earthsea is meant to be crap. So what's your favourite Ghibli production? Are there any ones you'd recommend?
Favourite Studio Ghibli film?
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I generally think there are four super-high quality Miyazaki films (the cream of Ghibli), with the rest ranging from fair to excellent without being quite as essential. Those four would be, in no particular order...WhyBotherToTry said:
1. Spirited Away
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. Kiki's Delivery Service
4. Princess Mononoke
Totoro is the most iconic, Mononoke the most epic, and Kiki's Delivery Service is perhaps the best example of Miyazaki's ability to find the magical in the mundane. It is an almost impossibly sweet and gentle film, full of warmth and good heart. If I had to pick one as his "masterpiece" though, it would be Spirited Away. It comes close to rivaling Mononoke's fantastical narrative, but it's a little more confident, a little more nuanced. Miyazaki's most common themes are on display as always, but they're a little more carefully buried in the subtext instead of front and center, shouting in your face. Also, I've always had a soft spot for Lewis Carroll, and Spirited Away almost perfectly captures the madcap whimsy and mild terror that made Alice in Wonderland so memorable.
I would go with Porco Rosso for sheer entertainment value. It has a great dub, and a simple but very fun story. Plus, it has aerial dogfights over the Mediterranean Sea. It's also one of the few Ghibli films to focus on adult characters, which I really appreciate. The youngest character is nearly twenty, but the main focus is on Porco himself, a cynical but well meaning flying Pig.
There is also talks of a sequel being made, set during the Spanish Civil War. I'd love to see what they do with a setting like that.
There is also talks of a sequel being made, set during the Spanish Civil War. I'd love to see what they do with a setting like that.
My favourite is definitely Princess Mononoke, just feels more mature than the others I've seen. The dub is great too, I think Minnie Driver's voice works really well. I have to admit to never watching them in Japanese though. I have no qualms about watching films with subtitles, and despite watching live action films dubbed, but much prefer watching animated films in my own language. I guess it just generally fits better.
Hmmmm, that's a toughie. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky are all among my favourite films. Castle of Cagliostro (gee, Miyzaki sure had a thing for castles) was very enjoyable to watch as well, especially because one of my favourite games, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, bears quite the resemblance to it in some ways. If I had to pick just one though, I'd probably go with Princess Mononoke, but they're just all so lovable.
Grave of the Fireflies deserves a mention too. It's one of those movies that was superb, but I don't want to watch it again because it would depress the shit out of me and probably make me cry just as hard as when I watched it for the first time. Which was pretty damn hard.
Grave of the Fireflies deserves a mention too. It's one of those movies that was superb, but I don't want to watch it again because it would depress the shit out of me and probably make me cry just as hard as when I watched it for the first time. Which was pretty damn hard.
Not a Ghibli/Miyazaki film. But still an incredible movie. I must watch it again sometime.FootloosePhoenix said:
OT: Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro are three must-see's. All of them are on my top list of movies. I think I saw Spirited Away ten to fifteen times as a kid. I'd watch it when i was home with the sniffles or the flu, practicing my drawing skills. Mononoke is a brilliant saga, I always watch that when I want to see something more... deadly. And Totoro is just simply the CUTEST thing you'll ever see. (You'll never want to ride a regular bus again.)
I would second all of those mentioned already (especially Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa Castle in the Sky and My Neighbour Totoro) but would add Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Pom Poko to the list. The former is another good environmentalism story with a trippy synth soundtrack and some bizarre creatures, plus it was Miyazaki's second film so it's cool to see his early work; the latter is a bonkers environmentalism lecture/story with anthropomorphic tanooki tribes using their shape-shifting abilities to save their territory from encroaching humans. Definite highlights are the creative uses of their ball-sacks.
Though not technically a Gibli film, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind is my favourite Miyazaki film. Like many of Miyazaki's films its visuals are so beautiful. Miyazaki made the Forest of Decay so beautiful I'm almost rooting for polution. It also is pretty heavy on the enviromentalist message you will find again and again in Gibli films.WhyBotherToTry said:
Horus: Prince of the Sun is one I grew up with. Miyazaki worked on it. It was the first movie he touched. The animation isn't quite that good since it's OLD. I like the sense of isolation I get from that movie.
Tales from Earthsea: it's a medieval adventure film having to do with an ill-defined evil growing on people's minds. The ballance of magic affects the people in this world and someone has been perverting it. I like the fact it is sadder and slower than most Gibli films. It's not bad, as much as it is mediocre. It's one of your chances of getting something with a somber atmosphere with Gibli quality of animation. Most of the crticism over this movie is fueled by blind hatred of Goro Miyazaki and how the film has little to do with the source material.
Mononoke Hime: when Miyazaki was making this, it was to be his last film, so he Miyazakied harder than ever before with strong visuals and his environmentalist message. It's one of his few films with an Asian setting.
From up on Poppy Hill: It is a film without any fantasy elements I can think of. Two youngsters fall in love in a 1960's scenario. Afterwards they discover that their families have a connection in the past and that they are probably related. Warning: the writers were cowards. It's worth a watch if you get over Tales from Earthsea and you're looking for a new reason to be disappointed. The film is good though. It was scripted my Miazaki the Elder and directed by his son.
Howl's moving castle: this is the best of Gibli's films in my opinion. Dealing mostly with how it is to be old and unnatractive.
I'd probably say Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, leaning toward the former. Everything in it is just so likable that I can't help but enjoy it.
Favourite; My Neighbor Totoro.
It's simply wonderful. That's really the only discription I can give it. And this is not nostalgia speaking since I only saw this movie when it was released on DVD. It's just the sweetest darn movie ever without ever becoming sticky or patronizing. And it features what is likely the most authentic child character ever put on film. ...Oh, and Totoro himself is pretty cool too.
As for what I think is Miyazaki's best movie, I'd have to go for Spirited Away. It is frankly perfect in every conceivable way. The animation, the character design, the music, everything about this movie is flawless.
Princess Mononoke has the best characters out of all his movies though.
The only Miyazaki movie I don't like at all is Porco Rosso. It's a giant bore, no pun intended.
It's simply wonderful. That's really the only discription I can give it. And this is not nostalgia speaking since I only saw this movie when it was released on DVD. It's just the sweetest darn movie ever without ever becoming sticky or patronizing. And it features what is likely the most authentic child character ever put on film. ...Oh, and Totoro himself is pretty cool too.
As for what I think is Miyazaki's best movie, I'd have to go for Spirited Away. It is frankly perfect in every conceivable way. The animation, the character design, the music, everything about this movie is flawless.
Princess Mononoke has the best characters out of all his movies though.
The only Miyazaki movie I don't like at all is Porco Rosso. It's a giant bore, no pun intended.
You picked a good one to start with. Castle in the Sky is a rousing adventure film, and it's my personal favorite of the bunch. I also highly recommend Porco Rosso and Kiki's Delivery Service.
In all honesty, I didn't really "get" the other three Ghibli films that I've watched (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). Maybe it's my utter lack of knowledge concerning Japanese folklore, but I came away from these perplexed and even a little unnerved at times. Spirited Away in particular seemed to have a strange half-remembered fever dream quality that made me feel uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong, I can still appreciate these films on an artistic level. The animation and backdrops are absolutely spectacular. I just felt like a fish out of water trying to wrap my highly westernized head around them.
In all honesty, I didn't really "get" the other three Ghibli films that I've watched (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). Maybe it's my utter lack of knowledge concerning Japanese folklore, but I came away from these perplexed and even a little unnerved at times. Spirited Away in particular seemed to have a strange half-remembered fever dream quality that made me feel uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong, I can still appreciate these films on an artistic level. The animation and backdrops are absolutely spectacular. I just felt like a fish out of water trying to wrap my highly westernized head around them.
My favorite Ghibli film is easily Howl's Moving Castle. Great story, great characters, fantastic animation, and a very imaginative setting, with a great voice cast for both the Japanese and English dub. The movie also has a pretty good message. If you like the movie, the book it's based on is far more detailed.
Princess Mononoke also deserves the high amount of praise it receives. It's an interesting film for many reasons, but it also has amazing characters and a great voice cast. The English adaptation was written by Neil Gaiman, so that's a big plus for me.
Princess Mononoke also deserves the high amount of praise it receives. It's an interesting film for many reasons, but it also has amazing characters and a great voice cast. The English adaptation was written by Neil Gaiman, so that's a big plus for me.
For me my top 5 would go:
1. Princess Mononoke
2. Arrietty
3. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (I realise it's not strictly Ghibli but it's from the same team before Ghibli was founded.)
4. Laputa: Castle in the Sky
5. Howl's Moving Castle
I'm surprised that Arrietty gets overlooked a lot, in my opinion it's the best looking of all the Ghibli films, with a great soundtrack to boot.
1. Princess Mononoke
2. Arrietty
3. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (I realise it's not strictly Ghibli but it's from the same team before Ghibli was founded.)
4. Laputa: Castle in the Sky
5. Howl's Moving Castle
I'm surprised that Arrietty gets overlooked a lot, in my opinion it's the best looking of all the Ghibli films, with a great soundtrack to boot.
Arrietty had a couple of very interesting ideas that just never really surfaced in my opinion.Talaris said:
I liked how it downplayed the concept of the Borrower; Nothing magical or whimsical, but simply tiny people surviving and trying not to get caught. There was also a very interesting link between the Borrowers and Sho's condition; Both live in constant fear of something stronger then they are.
And it was nice to finally hear a fresh score in a Ghibli movie.
Watch them all. They're all delicious. (I like Earthsea, but it's unanimously disliked).
Top 5 for me (more a list of top 5 Miyazaki films):
1. Nausicaa of the Valle of the Wind (fantastic in all aspects)
2. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (fanciful and beautiful with great main characters)
2. Howl's Moving Castle (A tie with Laputa here, the artwork in this one is second to nothing else)
4. Princess Mononoke (awesome story, great characters)
5. Spirited Away (another great fanciful story with deeper morals)
And that's a really, really tight top 5.
Honourable mention is Porco Rosso, as it's a really quirky and highly enjoyable film.
All the films have English dubs farying from good to great, so they're worth watching in either language.
Top 5 for me (more a list of top 5 Miyazaki films):
1. Nausicaa of the Valle of the Wind (fantastic in all aspects)
2. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (fanciful and beautiful with great main characters)
2. Howl's Moving Castle (A tie with Laputa here, the artwork in this one is second to nothing else)
4. Princess Mononoke (awesome story, great characters)
5. Spirited Away (another great fanciful story with deeper morals)
And that's a really, really tight top 5.
Honourable mention is Porco Rosso, as it's a really quirky and highly enjoyable film.
All the films have English dubs farying from good to great, so they're worth watching in either language.