Ranked/Favorite Studio Ghibli Films?

[misstayleigh]

Hi all!! With the recent launch of HBO Max, I am super excited to fiiiiinally have one place to watch all of Studio Ghibli's films (instead of having to go through uhhh less than reliable links online to find a maybe decent copy lol)

I just watched Whisper of the Heart for the first time and LOVED it. I can't believe I hadn't seen it before! So it got me thinking... how might you rank your favorite Ghibli films? Mine would be:

1. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (not technically Ghibli but so integral to Miyazaki's future work, and just my overall favorite)
2. Kiki's Delivery Service (my island is named after the town, Koriko!)
3. Whisper of the Heart
4. Howl's Moving Castle
5. Spirited Away

What are yours?

 

[Jam86]

howl's moving castle is the BEST imo
i love that one so much it's unreal lol

so for me it would be:
1) howl's moving castle
2) the borrower arriety
3) the cat returns
4)when marnie was there
5)spirited away

 

[misstayleigh]

howl's moving castle is the BEST imo
i love that one so much it's unreal lol

so for me it would be:
1) howl's moving castle
2) the borrower arriety
3) the cat returns
4)when marnie was there
5)spirited away

ooh, yes!!! Howl's is absolutely a tour de force--I'd argue it's Miyazaki's greatest technical feat no doubt. and I love love love Sophie :,)

I still need to see The Borrower Arriety and When Marnie Was There! glad to see some love for The Cat Returns. if you haven't seen Whisper of the Heart I definitely recommend it because it's a sort of "prequel" to TCR

 

[Jam86]

ooh, yes!!! Howl's is absolutely a tour de force--I'd argue it's Miyazaki's greatest technical feat no doubt. and I love love love Sophie :,)

I still need to see The Borrower Arriety and When Marnie Was There! glad to see some love for The Cat Returns. if you haven't seen Whisper of the Heart I definitely recommend it because it's a sort of "prequel" to TCR

if i'm honest i don't remember whisper of the heart
i was so young when i first saw it but my sister loves it ♡

 

[InkFox]

Spirited Away is my absolute favourite and also my childhood trauma.
When I was something like 10, the school took us to the cinema to watch Spirited Away : it was one of my worse cinematic experiences ever haha, I got so scared and made so many nightmares afterwards. My dad decided we would go back to the cinema to watch it again and try to understand it but it only made things worse. I didn't dare to watch it again until I turned 21, and immediately fell in love with it. But it's not a film for kids, what the hell were they (the school) thinking ?! :'<

2nd fave is Howl's Moving Castle but I believe I might have watched it too many times...

I don't know which one comes 3rd, maybe Castle in the Sky, I also disliked it as a kid but appreciated it much more watching it again when I was older.

I'll put Ponyo as my 4th because I absolutely loved it, even though a lot of people thought it was not that good.

And maybe Kiki's delivery service as my 5th choice but it's been a while since I've last watched it.

I love them all anyway, so it's a tough choice.

 

[brockbrock]

My favorite Ghibli film is 2013's The Wind Rises. Such an artistic and emotional movie. I knew I was going to cry, I knew the moment it was coming, yet I burst out into tears anyways. For me it's by far the most impactful and beautifully unfolded story. It reminds me in some ways of Pixar's Up, regarding many of the emotions it stirs in me.

 

[misstayleigh]

if i'm honest i don't remember whisper of the heart
i was so young when i first saw it but my sister loves it ♡

ahhh I definitely recommend it!! it was so so so charming :,)

Post automatically merged: May 28, 2020

Spirited Away is my absolute favourite and also my childhood trauma.
When I was something like 10, the school took us to the cinema to watch Spirited Away : it was one of my worse cinematic experiences ever haha, I got so scared and made so many nightmares afterwards. My dad decided we would go back to the cinema to watch it again and try to understand it but it only made things worse. I didn't dare to watch it again until I turned 21, and immediately fell in love with it. But it's not a film for kids, what the hell were they (the school) thinking ?! :'<

2nd fave is Howl's Moving Castle but I believe I might have watched it too many times...

I don't know which one comes 3rd, maybe Castle in the Sky, I also disliked it as a kid but appreciated it much more watching it again when I was older.

I'll put Ponyo as my 4th because I absolutely loved it, even though a lot of people thought it was not that good.

And maybe Kiki's delivery service as my 5th choice but it's been a while since I've last watched it.

I love them all anyway, so it's a tough choice.

excellent list!!! I still need to see Ponyo haha

also RT that Spirited Away was TRAUMATIZING as a kid haha! I saw it at home with my parents and can so clearly remember hiding on the staircase when you-know-who gets turned into you-know-what at the beginning of the movie... it is incredibly vivid haha

Post automatically merged: May 28, 2020

My favorite Ghibli film is 2013's The Wind Rises. Such an artistic and emotional movie. I knew I was going to cry, I knew the moment it was coming, yet I burst out into tears anyways. For me it's by far the most impactful and beautifully unfolded story. It reminds me in some ways of Pixar's Up, regarding many of the emotions it stirs in me.

<3 ugh how beautiful! this is on my watchlist. my boyfriend was just telling me this is his favorite so I definitely need to see it!

 

[-Lumi-]

My favourite is probably The Cat Returns! I know it’s not the most groundbreaking but it’s my go to feel good movie. If I’m feeling sick or can’t sleep I’ll put it on!

Otherwise I’m not the best at ranking them! I own physical copies of: The Cat Returns, Howls Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service! I’d love to buy them all one day, though.

 

[Llunavale]

But [Spirited Away is] not a film for kids, what the hell were they (the school) thinking ?! :'<

You really don't think so? That's crazy, it was one of my favourites growing up, I wish my school had taken us to see it!

For me, Spirited Away also takes number 1 spot, then...
2 Princess Mononoke
3 Howl's Moving Castle
4 Porco Rosso
5 I'm actually kind of torn between Laputa: Castle in the Sky and My Neighbour Totoro so I'll rank them kind of the same, I think I prefer Laputa a little more but it's a close call.

 

[0ni]

My absolute favourite is Only Yesterday, I love the storytelling of looking back on your past and trying to find your place in the present. I remember the first time I watched it I was completely entranced. It's a fairly simple plot compared to other ghibli films, so I don't know why it had such an effect on me, but I love it so so much.

After that, it becomes harder to decide on where the other films rank on the list - I enjoy so many of them.
Other favourites: My neighbours the yamadas, pom poko, the princess kaguya, and spirited away.

I remember watching My neighbours the yamadas and finding it so funny, it's such a quirky film and has such a cool art style - it's the same with The princess kaguya, that film is visually STUNNING

 

[Taj]

1. Grave of the Fireflies (some kinda weird dating whether or not it’s ghibli but ask me if I care)
2. Spirited Away
3. Princess Mononoke
4. Howl’s Moving Castle
5. Whisper of the Heart

 

[_Rainy_]

1. Spirited away
2. Howls moving Castle
3. Princess Mononoke
4. Kikis delivery service
5. My neighbor Totoro

Spoiler: My spirit animals

Also as an honorable mention Ni No Kuni not a movie but such a good game.

 

[pochacco]

1. howl’s moving castle (my comfort movie!)
2. kiki’s delivery service
3. from up on poppy hill
4. ocean waves (unpopular opinion but i really like this movie and i don’t think it was that bad at all hhshhhskej)
5. ponyo

i’ve honestly lost count on how many times i’ve watched howl’s moving castle, the soundtrack is gorgeous.

 

[Crash]

1. spirited away
2. howl's moving castle
3. ponyo

tbh they're practically all tied for first place because i love all three so, so much. spirited away has been my favorite for a very long time tho so it's earned it's spot as #1. love ghibli films with all of my heart

 

[nyx~]

1. Kiki's Delivery Service (Jiji is my favorite)
2. My Neighbor Totoro (I find it so adorable!!)
3. Ponyo
4. Spirited Away (scared me to death as a child lol)
5. Howls Moving Castle

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

Spirited Away > Howl's Moving Castle > Ponyo > Kiki's Delivery Service > My Neighbor Totoro > Princess Monotone Mononoke

 

[LadyDestani]

1. Pom Poko
2. Grave of the Fireflies
3. Princess Mononoke

I'm going to stop at three because I'm having a really hard time placing the rest, but Arrietty, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away and Nausicaa are definitely up there.

I haven't seen My Neighbor Totoro or The Cat Returns yet, but those have the potential to be very high as well.

 

[InkFox]

You really don't think so? That's crazy, it was one of my favourites growing up, I wish my school had taken us to see it!

Yeah even though it is now my absolute favourite, this movie terrified me so much when I was a kid and for such a long time that I definitely wouldn't recommend showing it to children haha. But well, some kids are more sensitive than others so I guess it depends on the child.

With that said, Harry potter scared the hell out of me too so maybe I was just oversensitive. but I was 7 for the first and 8 when I saw the second movie so I have an excuse right ? x)

 

[brockbrock]

<3 ugh how beautiful! this is on my watchlist. my boyfriend was just telling me this is his favorite so I definitely need to see it!

I'm glad your boyfriend appreciates it too. Oftentimes when I meet someone who loves Ghibli movies it's often one that they've never seen. I guess because it's a pretty serious movie - I've seen them all and to me it really stands out from the others, in tone, in subject matter. I also think some of the dreamier scenes are absolutely breathtaking. The art style in general is stunning. Just be aware when you watch it that you can't really compare it to the other films, especially the most popular ones... it has a very different feel (to me, anyways), and at its core it's a very beautifully tearjerking movie.

 

[Hanif1807]

Spirited Away is always my favorite. Kiki's Delivery Service is the 2nd