Studio Ghibliwas founded almost 40 years ago now, and has long been held in high regard for the anime films it’s produced in the years since 1985.Hayao Miyazakiis the biggest name associated with the company, being one of its co-founders and having directed the most feature films while at the company, though he’s far from the only director to be behind films produced by Studio Ghibli.
One of the other co-founders,Isao Takahata, has also made films at the company, and there are several other directors of note, includingGoro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki’s son.Those Miyazaki-directed films are all great (obviously), but to highlight the work of other Studio Ghibli directors, these movies rank among the best to come out of the studio that didn’t have Miyazaki as director (though he has had co-writing and/or producing credits for some of them).
10’From Up on Poppy Hill' (2011)
Director: Goro Miyazaki
While the best film dealing with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics wouldstill be the documentaryTokyo Olympiad,From Up on Poppy Hillis an interesting “pre-Olympics” story. It’s set in 1963, and involves students fighting to save their school clubhouse from being destroyed as preparations for the Olympics – with all the building developments that entails – threaten their status quo.
It keeps things very grounded by anime movie standards, and while plenty of Studio Ghibli movies dip into more fantastical territory,From Up on Poppy Hill’sdown-to-earth nature can be somewhat refreshing.It’s a bit “slice of life” in its approach, having a fairly relaxed feel to much of the narrative at hand, with small bursts of drama here and there, including a potential romance storyline that definitely doesn’t head in the direction most people would expect it to…
From Up On Poppy Hill
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9’The Secret World of Arrietty' (2010)
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Hiromasa Yonebayashiis the youngest person to have directed a feature film for Studio Ghibli, withthe underratedThe Secret World of Arriettybeing his debut, and it being released the year he turned 37. Yonebayashi left Studi Ghibli to work at Studio Ponoc in 2015, but directed two films for Studio Ghibli, and his work as an animator for the studio could be seen as late as2023, withThe Boy and the Heron(that one was in production for a while).
The Secret World of Arriettyis another quiet, somewhat relaxed, and gently fantastical movie from Studio Ghibli, being about the connection a young boy makes with a young girl who also happens to be tiny, and lives in and around the boy’s (regular-sized) house with her family.It’s beautiful to look at, and there is an undeniable charm/novelty to seeing a depiction of the regular world from a very much irregular perspective.
The Secret World of Arrietty
8’The Cat Returns' (2002)
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
The Cat Returnsis almost a sequelto another Studio Ghibli film from 1995 (more on that later), though calling it a spin-off might be more accurate. It’s perhaps the most cat-heavy Studio Ghibli film to date (sorry,My Neighbor Totoro, and your cat-bus), having a story about a young girl who saves a cat who ends up being a ruler of a Kingdom of Cats, where she is – naturally – transported to.
It’sa film that conjures up a particularly strange fantasy world, even by the standards of Studio Ghibli, and even at just 75 minutes, it can feel a bit wild and overwhelming at times. That short length and its connection to another film (while not being quite as good) can combine to makeThe Cat Returnsfeel a little slight in comparison to other Studio Ghibli films, but it’s still solid for what it is, and remains undeniably creative and distinctive.
7’The Red Turtle' (2016)
Director: Michael Dudok de Wit
Here’s something a little different:The Red Turtlewas partly produced by Studio Ghibli, and partly produced by a group of French companies, while also having a Dutch director:Michael Dudok de Wit. One other thing that makesThe Red Turtlestand out is its lack of dialogue, making things feel quieter and more universal than ever before, with the setting of the film being a deserted island.
The main character is a man trying to survive on the island in question, withThe Red Turtleshowcasing the sorts of bonds he begins to have with the animals that populate the place.It’s a calming sort of film for a while, owing to the laidback approach to storytelling and the lack of dialogue, but it proveswilling to get more emotional when needed. In the end, it’s a slow sort of film, but a well-balanced and undoubtedly rewarding one.
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6’Whisper of the Heart' (1995)
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Yoshifumi Kondōsadly passed away in 1998, at just 47 years of age, and with only one feature film directorial credit to his name: forWhisper of the Heart. This was the film that was sort of returned to with 2002’sThe Cat Returns, butWhisper of the Heartis easily the stronger film of the two, and it remains a bittersweet one, when imagining what else Kondō may have been able to direct had he been able to continue working for Studio Ghibli as the years went on.
As might be becoming clear, the plot for most Studio Ghibli films isn’t always necessary to detail, but broadly, Whisper of the Heart is about love, finding oneself creatively, and the wonders of storytelling. It’s a movie with a good heart and even greater animation, beingvisually dazzling and perhaps even ranking up there amongthe very best anime films of all time.
5’Only Yesterday' (1991)
Director: Isao Takahata
From this point onwards, get used to seeing the nameIsao Takahata, because it’s pretty uncontroversial to say he was the second-most acclaimed and prolific director at Studio Ghibli, behind Hayao Miyazaki. His films are a little harder to pin down and define than Miyazaki’s, and it’s possible to say he did try to change up his style significantly from film to film,with certain ones looking different from an animation perspective, and a fairly wide range of genres jumped between from project to project.
Only Yesterday, for example, is another grounded Studio Ghibli drama, and there’s alsoa good deal going on romantically here, as well. Narratively, it’s ambitiously presented, with a young woman jumping between memories of her past and her present, both of which inform the other in interesting ways, making this a blisteringly effective – and eventually moving – character-focused movie.
Only Yesterday (1991)
4’The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' (2013)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguyawas the last feature film Isao Takahata directed for Studio Ghibli, as he passed away at the age of 82, five years after the film’s release. He potentially saved his biggest, most ambitious,and – undeniably – longest film for last, withThe Tale of Princess Kaguyahaving unusual yet bold animation, and running for a considerable 137 minutes.
The tale ofThe Tale of Princess Kaguyacenters on a tiny girl who’s found inside a bamboo stalk, and the various things that happen to her as she goes about a dramatic life, as an outsider owing to her mysterious origins/discovery.It’s hard to describe what makes the movie work both visually and narratively; it’s best to just check it out for oneself and try to get immersed in the unique world the film offers.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
3’Pom Poko' (1994)
No deep dive intothe lesser-known films of Studio Ghibliwould be complete without a look atPom Poko, which is a dramedy/fantasy/almost-war movie about raccoons withsome, let’s say, interesting anatomical features. Its range of genres and willingness to get more than a little weird might make it far from the most approachable Studio Ghibli movie, but it scores points for being one of the most creative.
It’s a good deal more comedic than some of the aforementioned films directed by Isao Takahata, and certainly less intense/realistic than his best-known work for Studio Ghibli (more on that soon).Pom Pokodoes haveserious themes it explores, particularly surrounding environmental issues and the way humanity often clashes with animal populations in urban areas. It doesn’t balance the serious with the goofy perfectly, but you have to admire how much it’s aiming to do in one movie, and how confidently it approaches its ideas and sequences, no matter how out-there they sometimes get.
2’When Marnie Was There' (2014)
When Marnie Was Therewasa moving coming-of-age movieproduced by Studio Ghibli, and the second of Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s feature films for the company before he left to work at Studio Ponoc. For as good asThe Secret World of Arriettywas,When Marnie Was Therefeels like an improvement across the board, and was well-received enough to even receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.
It’s about one young girl moving to a new place and forming a connection with another girl; a highly mysterious one who, at some points, seems like she might not actually exist.Covering the difficulties of growing up while keeping some mystery and light fantasy alive through this unusual character of Marnie,When Marnie Was Thereis creative and packs a punch emotionally, meaning it ranks up there as one of the strongest Studio Ghibli films overall.
When Marnie Was There
Anna, a shy 12-year-old girl, is sent to spend time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, where she meets Marnie. The two become best friends. But Anna gradually discovers that Marnie is not quite who she appears to be.
1’Grave of the Fireflies' (1988)
Isao Takahata’s first film for Studio Ghibli has continually remained his most celebrated effort, even as the years have gone on, and become decades. All that time has passed, and yetGrave of the Firefliesis still one of the most harrowing and upsetting movies about war ever made.It follows two young children struggling to survivethe closing days of World War II, after they lose their mother and eventually have nowhere to go in a decimated Kobe.
To callGrave of the Firefliesbleak would be an understatement, and it feels like one of those quintessential “watch once and then maybe never again” sorts of movies. Still, it does have to be appreciated by anyone who has an interest in Japanese animation, and its story is an important one. Watching it’s not easy, but it is essential, and those qualitiesmake it not just one of the best Studio Ghibli animated movies, but one of the best animated films of all time full stop.
