*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
If you know me really well, then you'll know that I love Studio Ghibli films. I first became a fan last year after watching The Secret World of Arrietty.
The reason why I love Studio Ghibli films is because they're all visually stunning. The art is unique and every one of them has amazing stories that include some of animation's most iconic characters.
So, here are my five favourite Studio Ghibli films.
5. The Wind Rises (2014)
When I first watched this, I was blown away(no pun intended). This is definitely one of Hayao Miyazaki's finest works. No, it doesn't have spirits or demons like you would normally see in some of his films but that's what I like about it. It tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, a man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Other filmmakers would probably have a hard time making a enjoyable movie about Horikoshi but Miyazaki does an amazing job. Throughout the film, we see Horikoshi's dreams about designing planes. This is how we, as an audience, want him to achieve his dream as he feels so passionate about it. This film follows his life as he goes through key events in history, including the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and The Great Depression. As we watch these key events, we don't know if Horikoshi will achieve his dream but, deep down, we know he will as he is determined. Not only are the characters likable in this animation, but the art is beautiful, too. It makes me sad that this is Miyazaki's final work and it didn't win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature as this is definitely Oscar worthy. I really hope that, one day, people will stop viewing Studio Ghibli as 'weird' cartoon films and actually give them a chance so that they can get the recognition worldwide that they deserve.
4. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
This is based on one of my favourite children's stories, The Borrowers, written by Mary Norton. 'Borrowers' are tiny people that live, secretly, inside people's homes and 'borrow' things from human beings, or as they like to call them, 'Human Beans'. This film focuses on Arrietty, who is a 14 year old borrower and has become very independent, much to her father's annoyance. She is always leaving home by herself and her father increasingly becomes worried that she will be seen. Arrietty promises she'll be careful. Despite her cautions, she is still spotted by a human boy named Sho. However, he is harmless and is staying with his grandmother as he is ill. The only problem is that he has a housekeeper, Hara, who is obsessed with finding the borrowers and keeping them for herself so Sho must protect Arrietty and her family. This was the first Anime film that I watched and I loved it. I had previously seen the 1997 film adaptation of The Borrowers, which I loved, so I was very excited about watching this adaptation. I loved how they portrayed Arrietty in this as she is very similar to the Arrietty in the 1997 film. However, that is the only similarity between the two and to compare them would be silly as they are very different films. Arrietty is brave and doesn't let anything, not even her father or Sho's evil housekeeper, get in the way of what she wants. She is also feisty but this is what makes her enjoyable to watch. I like seeing females being portrayed in this way instead of them just sitting around, not even trying to get what they want. This may have not been directed by Hayao Miyazaki, even though he did co-write the screenplay, but Hiromasa Yonebayashi does a fine job at adapting one of the most popular children's stories in Anime film.
If you want to read my full review of The Secret World of Arrietty, click here.
3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
In my opinion, this definitely deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature as it is, not only one of the best Anime films but one of the best fantasy films. It tells the story of 18 year old Sophie, who has been turned into an old woman by a spiteful, jealous witch. Sophie must now find Howl, who is a self indulgent yet insecure young wizard, to break the curse. The reason why I think this is one of the best fantasy films is because of its unique characters and the beautiful art that is used. I really felt for Sophie as she is unconfident and shy which I can relate to. Howl is a great wizard but is very self indulgent. However, when he meets Sophie, he changes and becomes determined to break her curse. Other great characters include: Markl, a young boy who travels with Howl; Calcifer, a fire demon that heats the castle and a scarescrow known as Kakashi no Kabu that helps Howl and Sophie along the way. The story was exciting and, at times, emotional when we learn Howl's back story. This definitely sends the message of helping others in times of need and also teaches people that there is more to appearence.
2. My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
This film includes one of animation's most iconic characters, Totoro, who is a forest spirit that befriends two sisters. We don't meet Totoro straightaway, we are first introduced to the two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who have moved to the village with their father as their mother is in hospital. We immediately feel sympathy for them which is why we are happy when they meet Totoro. He may not speak much but he still shows emotions through his eyes and what he does. The scene that is shown in the above picture is when Satsuki and Mei are waiting for their father to arrive home from work in the pouring rain. This may have been a sad scene for us to watch if it wasn't for Totoro arriving and waiting for them. He makes waiting in the rain fun as he jumps up and down in the rain and hissing when it falls on his head. This is definitely one of my favourite scenes. I think that this is what made people realise that Anime is more than Japanese animation, it is animation that shows the emotions of characters in a completely different way to how other animators would normally show emotions. My Neighbour Totoro is a sweet and funny film about two sisters that befriend a forest spirit but also has some emotion scenes too.
1. Spirited Away (2001)
Whenever you say 'Anime' or 'Studio Ghibli' to someone, they immediately think of Spirited Away. Before watching this, I wasn't aware of how much I was going to love this film. I honestly didn't expect it to be this good. I'm so happy that it won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature as it truly deserved it. Other films that were in the category that year were Lilo & Stitch; Treasure Planet; Ice Age and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and, while they were all great films in their own way, none of them could live up to Spirited Away's standards. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a 10 year old girl who has recently moved to the suburbs with her parents and discovers a new world filled with spirits and demons. Before watching, I was worried that it would be too 'weird' for my liking but I needn't have worried. All the creatures are beautifully designed which is one of the things I loved most. But what really moves the film forward is Chihiro. She is only 10 years old and she goes through a lot in this film. In the beginning, we see that she is scared of almost everything but, by the end of the film, she is a mature and brave child. This is why we feel sympathy for her as this is what no child should have to go through, especially on their own. Luckily Chihiro isn't on her own as she has the help of Haku, a boy who lives in this world and works for a witch, Yubaba. She is also the owner of a bathhouse where the demons and spirits come to stay and where Chihiro (now known as Sen) must work. With the help of Haku and Lin, a worker at the bathhouse who looks after Sen, we know that she is never alone and that she'll get through this. But it's not without its obstacles and we wonder how will Sen get through them but we know that she'll get through them. If you're unsure about watching Anime films then I'd definitely recommend that you watch Spirited Away as it will convince you to watch more.
To read my full review, click here.
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