Studio Ghibli!

[DragonFox91]

I grew up on Totoro & loved it. Watched it all the time.

I want to watch more Studio Ghibli films. What are some of the good ones? Under-appreciated ones? Any other memories or thoughts?
I watched Kiki's Delivery Service already (this week) & loved it. The library had The Secret Life of Arrietty so I checked that out & will watch it this weekend. So Studio Ghibli fans: go!

 

[bèlla]

Nice thread! I like him too.

*tagging @SarahsKnight he's a fan.

Desi mentions him often on her channel. She's quirky with a feel good vibe. Positive and childlike in some respects. I think you'll enjoy her content. She's the reason I started watching YouTube. I never did. She has a beautiful spirit.

 

[Jonaitis]

I grew up on Totoro & loved it. Watched it all the time.

I want to watch more Studio Ghibli films. What are some of the good ones? Under-appreciated ones? Any other memories or thoughts?
I watched Kiki's Delivery Service already (this week) & loved it. The library had The Secret Life of Arrietty so I checked that out & will watch it this weekend. So Studio Ghibli fans: go!

I don't think it is from Studio Ghibli, but I recently finished the Ranking of Kings, and it gives off the same vibe. Great series. Two seasons.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Desi mentions him often on her channel. She's quirky with a feel good vibe. Positive and childlike in some respects

I took one look at this Darling Desi in the first thumbnail on her channel page, then heard her talk for five seconds, and instantly fell in love, by the way.

 

[Sophrosyne]

I've collected a lot of Studio Ghibli over the last 15 years. My first was Princess Monoke, then Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Ponyo, When Marnie was There, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns and a few more. Nausicaa has voice dubbing actors Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Edward James Olmos. Lupin the Third is another movie.
I have a few others in my collection.

 

[DragonFox91]

I took one look at this Darling Desi in the first thumbnail on her channel page, then heard her talk for five seconds, and instantly fell in love, by the way.

Too good for me. I don't dare watch those.

 

[bèlla]

I took one look at this Darling Desi in the first thumbnail on her channel page, then heard her talk for five seconds, and instantly fell in love, by the way.

I'm not surprised!

@DragonFox91 Why not?

 

[DragonFox91]

I've collected a lot of Studio Ghibli over the last 15 years. My first was Princess Monoke, then Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Ponyo, When Marnie was There, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns and a few more. Nausicaa has voice dubbing actors Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Edward James Olmos. Lupin the Third is another movie.
I have a few others in my collection.

Which are your favorites? Any that get just okay reviews but you really enjoy?

 

[Sophrosyne]

Which are your favorites? Any that get just okay reviews but you really enjoy?

I rate all the movies in my collection and My ratings are as follows:
Castle in the Sky 8.7
The Cat Returns 7.4
Grave of the Fireflies 6.8
Howl's Moving Castle 9.0
Kiki's Delivery Service 7.4
Lupin The 3rd: The Castle Of Cagliostro 8.4
My Neighbor Totoro 7.5
Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind 8.8
Pom Poko 6.8
Ponyo 7.5
Princess Mononoke 8.7
The Secret World Of Arrietty 7.3 (aka the Borrowers)
Spirited Away 7.9
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya 6.8
Tales From Earthsea 6.8
When Marnie Was There 7.4
The Wind Rises 6.8

As you can see the best movies I think are Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, Lupi the 3rd, Nausicaa, and Princess Mononoke, with Spirited away decent also. Anything better than a 7 is starting into the "great range"
and anything in the 8s are Excellent with 9's a "watch anytime" the best etc.

I am sure that there are likely 4 or 5 more Studio Ghibli movies that I don't have as I pick my movies up mostly second hand that is the reason I have so many because often I pay as little as $1-$3 a movie. The lowest rating is 6.8 which is near the top of the "good" movies heading towards great IMO.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

I want to watch more Studio Ghibli films. What are some of the good ones? Under-appreciated ones? Any other memories or thoughts?

Here is why I like Porco Rosso. It is pseudo-historical, set in the Mediterranean some time just before WWII, but the references are just for background. It is not a war movie. It starts with a silly-sounding premise - a former Italian air force pilot turned outlaw has the face of a pig. (Hence "Porco") The movie starts out with some silly fight scenes with seaplane pirates. But as the movie evolves, we learn a more serious backstory involving survivor's guilt and lost love. Despite his pig face, the beautiful Gina who runs a hotel/restaurant on an island still remembers Porco as a childhood friend who has looked after her throughout the turmoil of the wars, and who was quite hansom before the war, with a normal human face. There is an eerie scene where Porco tells the story of his last battle where everyone but him died, which is the source of his survivor's guilt. This is one of many instances in Ghibli movies where Hayao Miyazaki's strong anti-war feelings come through. There are several characters in Porco Rosso that are interesting in their own right. There is the young aeronautical engineer, Fio, who redesigns Porco's plane after it was wrecked. There is a comical cast of characters at Piccolo's aircraft company in Milan where Fio is the owner's granddaughter. And of course Gina. Miyazaki's love of aviation comes through in the graceful flying visuals. Look for the word "Ghibli" on the engine that gets installed in Porco's rebuilt plane as a neat Easter egg. The setting and characters of this movie are very reminiscent of the classic Casablanca. Porco is Rick and Gina is Ilsa. The music even reminds me of "As Time Goes By". So if you liked Casablanca, definitely see Porco Rosso.

 

[Sophrosyne]

I didn't care too much for Porco Rosso, not sure why it didn't show up on my search query maybe I misspelled something it shows up now. I rated it the lowest at 6.3 and don't remember why as I only watched it once back in 2015.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Spirited Away is the film that Studio Ghibli is most noted for. I liked the film, not for the story, which was just OK, but for the great character development. One of the most touching scenes is where Chihiro is sitting in a sunny field eating rice and crying as she eats. When I rewatch this film (which I do occasionally) I pay special attention to everything that reflects on Chihiro's character development. Miyazaki said that he patterned Chihiro after the spoiled and timid daughter of an acquaintance of his. One instance of her character development is illustrated by the extremely cautious manner in which she goes down some stairs on the side of the bathhouse at the beginning. Contrast this with the manner in which she boldly runs across a collapsing pipe later in the film. Despite her spoiled appearance at the start, she is revealed to be good at heart in how she accepts her situation, takes on disgusting tasks, and at several points is shown to resist the temptation to greed that is common in many other characters. Even the monster "No Face" has a redemption arc. A very satisfying film to watch, if you don't try to rationalize all the fantastical elements. It really isn't necessary to the enjoyment of the film. Perhaps Japanese viewers will get more of the cultural legend references, but it is OK if you don't get it all.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

I didn't care too much for Porco Rosso, not sure why it didn't show up on my search query maybe I misspelled something it shows up now. I rated it the lowest at 6.3 and don't remember why as I only watched it once back in 2015.

Perhaps you were put off by the silliness in the beginning. And there is some silliness in the middle too. But it only amounts to 10% of the film. Did you watch the sub or the dub? I liked the English dub with Michael Keaton doing the voice of Porco.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Perhaps you were put off by the silliness in the beginning. And there is some silliness in the middle too. But it only amounts to 10% of the film. Did you watch the sub or the dub? I liked the English dub with Michael Keaton doing the voice of Porco.

I'm really not sure..... could be that the plot/story was not very intriguing.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

I'm really not sure..... could be that the plot/story was not very intriguing.

Some movies are plot-driven and some are character-driven. Porco Rosso is more character-driven, I think. So if you are primarily looking for an intriguing plot, I can see why Porco Rosso might not be very appealing. I think Kiki's Delivery Service is an example of both an intriguing plot and interesting characters. Well, one interesting character anyway - Kiki herself. Not too much has been said of Kiki because the OP mentioned he had already seen it. But I want to add that Kiki is an excellent character study and insight into the psychological and emotional effects of tuning something you love into a job that is not always successful. The depression she suffers causes her to lose her ability to fly, which was something she used to do for fun. The realities of entering the workplace can be devastating to someone who has unrealistic expectations. The movie offers good advice on connecting with our inner motivations to regain confidence. In the sound design I like the use of total silence in the scene where Kiki has to start flying again to save Tombo. The sounds of crowd, the emergency vehicles, the music, all cuts out. That total absence of sound did a great job at focusing our attention on the strength of the moment.

Here is a relevant analysis of Kiki's Delivery Service I saw a while ago:

 

[LeafByNiggle]

Another Ghibli movie that has not been mentioned is Whisper of the Heart. Let me say right off the Whisper of the Heart is not a great overall movie. It is a somewhat ordinary coming-of-age drama with nothing fantastical or supernatural and where nothing special happens. But I still think it is worth watching for what it does well, which is to illustrate the struggles of trying to be a writer and dealing with self-esteem issues and writer's block at the same time. The title of the movie is also the title of the story that the main character, Shizuku, ends up writing. In one pivotal scene Shizuku sings the alternate words that she wrote for the John Denver song, Country Roads. The words probably flowed better in Japanese, but here are the English words:

I dreamed of living alone but fearless, Secret longing to be courageous,
Loneliness kept bottled up inside, just reveal your brave face they’ll never know you lied.

Country road may lead me home, know I belong there all on my own
Destiny calls, motionless I stall, no I can’t go, Country road.

No matter how dark the world’s inside me I’ll never stop to show a tears that I’ve shed,
but now I have to walk so fast, running, sprinting to forget what is lodged in my head.

Country Road, may lead me home, know I belong there all on my own.
Destiny calls, motionless I stall no I can’t go country roads.
​

It is worth watching as a character study of Shizuku alone.

 

[DragonFox91]

Ponyo

This movie was a little too strange for me & I like strange. None of the parts w/ Liam Neeson’s character or the goddess made sense. So he does stuff to protect the balance of nature, but is scheming to go back to the Cambrian, & after Ponyo gets into it, & to restore the balance of nature, the goddess says she can be human if she wants? & what did the old women have to do w/ anything? Maybe somethings got lost in translation. Like w/ a few movies I’ve seen recently, the heart of the story is what’s good, & it’s really good here. As someone who has pet fish, I connected w/ the relationship when she’s only a fish. I loved the scenes at the house where Ponyo’s learning. Studio Ghibli does characters so well! The shots of the boat floating above a flooded town w/ prehistoric fish swimming thru the streets is very memorable.

Unfortunately I’d say this is the weakest Studio Ghibli movie I’ve seen, but overall I still liked it. I recommend it if you like bizarre.

"I....WANT....HAMMMMMMM!!" lol

I give Ponyo a 4/5

Now I've seen (in watch order):
Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
The Secret World of Arietty
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Ponyo

 

[Sophrosyne]

Another Ghibli movie that has not been mentioned is Whisper of the Heart. Let me say right off the Whisper of the Heart is not a great overall movie. It is a somewhat ordinary coming-of-age drama with nothing fantastical or supernatural and where nothing special happens. But I still think it is worth watching for what it does well, which is to illustrate the struggles of trying to be a writer and dealing with self-esteem issues and writer's block at the same time. The title of the movie is also the title of the story that the main character, Shizuku, ends up writing. In one pivotal scene Shizuku sings the alternate words that she wrote for the John Denver song, Country Roads. The words probably flowed better in Japanese, but here are the English words:

I dreamed of living alone but fearless, Secret longing to be courageous,
Loneliness kept bottled up inside, just reveal your brave face they’ll never know you lied.

Country road may lead me home, know I belong there all on my own
Destiny calls, motionless I stall, no I can’t go, Country road.

No matter how dark the world’s inside me I’ll never stop to show a tears that I’ve shed,
but now I have to walk so fast, running, sprinting to forget what is lodged in my head.

Country Road, may lead me home, know I belong there all on my own.
Destiny calls, motionless I stall no I can’t go country roads.
​

It is worth watching as a character study of Shizuku alone.

I don't have that one yet, I want to get all the Studio Ghibli movies but I'm not going to pay much for the ones I don't have yet. I've had Whisper of the Heart on my list but not really going to put out an effort to get it, if I stumble across it while shopping second hand places I would be tempted to pick up the Blu-Ray/DVD set. I've upgrade all the S/G movies over time to Blu-Ray combos or incorporated the DVDs into a 2 disc blu-ray case with the Blu-Rays as I have portable DVD players and some of these movies are great to watch when you are stuck for hours alone at an airport or etc. I took 4 SG movies with me to my sisters house when I went to her wedding I stayed there 2 days and I was alone for half of that with her TV set only getting over the air stuff and not knowing how to use their satellite internet setup I watched my movies.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Ponyo

This movie was a little too strange for me & I like strange. None of the parts w/ Liam Neeson’s character or the goddess made sense. So he does stuff to protect the balance of nature, but is scheming to go back to the Cambrian, & after Ponyo gets into it, & to restore the balance of nature, the goddess says she can be human if she wants? & what did the old women have to do w/ anything? Maybe somethings got lost in translation. Like w/ a few movies I’ve seen recently, the heart of the story is what’s good, & it’s really good here. As someone who has pet fish, I connected w/ the relationship when she’s only a fish. I loved the scenes at the house where Ponyo’s learning. Studio Ghibli does characters so well! The shots of the boat floating above a flooded town w/ prehistoric fish swimming thru the streets is very memorable.

Unfortunately I’d say this is the weakest Studio Ghibli movie I’ve seen, but overall I still liked it. I recommend it if you like bizarre.

"I....WANT....HAMMMMMMM!!" lol

I give Ponyo a 4/5

Now I've seen (in watch order):
Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
The Secret World of Arietty
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Ponyo

I liked Ponyo but not any more than most people. I'm not sure why I didn't like it better as I've only watched it once a long time ago it is in my collection but I have so many movies I rarely watch the same movie twice in 5 years now. I liked it and gave it a 7.5. I don't use the 5 stars rating system as it is too inaccurate to me it doesn't allow a movie to be 7.4 or 7.6 you have to choose 3/5, 3.5/5 or 4/5 and many would choose 3 or 4 instead of 3.5. I also don't have the Yamadas, it is on my list but never come across it second hand the art on the cover looks a little disappointing only like a cartoon more than anime styles. I think what drew me to SG movies is the art on many of the movies is absolutely stunning, the animation is top notch and using high quality voice dubbing with good actor's voices trained to dub to the moving lips of the original movie makes it for a joy to watch. As I love animated stuff I find some titles you really have to pay a lot of attention to the subs or you will get confused on the plot line and it takes away from the joy of the animation. I have very few movies without an English soundtrack/dub on them I've purposely refused to buy them and looked to see if a dubbed version had come out later for it. I haven't kept up with SG line lately but the last few newer titles I've gotten ahold of didn't compare well to the better movies. I'm not saying that they were bad but my interest in the struggles of people in Japan after Hiroshima is not very high as it can be a very depressing topic in a movie and I'm not into sad and depressing animated stuff.

 

[DragonFox91]

I liked Ponyo but not any more than most people. I'm not sure why I didn't like it better as I've only watched it once a long time ago it is in my collection but I have so many movies I rarely watch the same movie twice in 5 years now. I liked it and gave it a 7.5. I don't use the 5 stars rating system as it is too inaccurate to me it doesn't allow a movie to be 7.4 or 7.6 you have to choose 3/5, 3.5/5 or 4/5 and many would choose 3 or 4 instead of 3.5. I also don't have the Yamadas, it is on my list but never come across it second hand the art on the cover looks a little disappointing only like a cartoon more than anime styles. I think what drew me to SG movies is the art on many of the movies is absolutely stunning, the animation is top notch and using high quality voice dubbing with good actor's voices trained to dub to the moving lips of the original movie makes it for a joy to watch. As I love animated stuff I find some titles you really have to pay a lot of attention to the subs or you will get confused on the plot line and it takes away from the joy of the animation. I have very few movies without an English soundtrack/dub on them I've purposely refused to buy them and looked to see if a dubbed version had come out later for it. I haven't kept up with SG line lately but the last few newer titles I've gotten ahold of didn't compare well to the better movies. I'm not saying that they were bad but my interest in the struggles of people in Japan after Hiroshima is not very high as it can be a very depressing topic in a movie and I'm not into sad and depressing animated stuff.

I liked the Yamadas but did think the animation style would turn a lot people off. It's definitely a different step from what they typically do. I didn't mind it, I thought it worked well for what they wanted to do.