I mean seriously, ever since I was nine years old and saw My Neighbor Totoro (the Fox dubbed version of course) I was in love with these films and the animation! These films just expanded the depths of my imagination in fact I wanted so bad to live in a house in the forest just like in the film, I still dream of it! But actually I'd prefer an old home in a lush forest like the one from Arietty. =) Only Yesterday is probably my new favorite out of the Ghibli films now. It's not as mystical or magical as Miyazaki's other films but it was still really good. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is another one of my top favorites. The soundtrack always makes me think of old video game soundtracks. Also I loved bugs as a kid, rolly polly's especially and the ohmas look so much like rolly pollies! Kiki's Delivery Service was the second Ghibli film I ever saw and it still holds a very special place in my heart for all the adventure and magic a young girl could want to experience. Princess Mononoke is a classic obviously and again one of my favorites, although last on my list to watch as I have seen it dozens of times already. To be continued! =)
Ah yes, Porco Rosso, I thought this was going to be a really weird one with a pig-man as the lead character but of course I was pleasantly surprised once more by Ghibli. Whisper of the Heart, this one was a little dull for my tastes so I have only seen it once. I think I need to watch it again to really enjoy it. My fiance loves it and has already watched it multiple times over. The Cat Returns, the spin off of Whisper of the Heart. I loved this one and I think Anne Hathaway as Haru was perfect for the dub. I loved her voice acting a lot for this one. Spirited Away another real classic and I think this the film that really helped Ghibli gain a lot of notice in the states. It is not one of my top picks though, I enjoy it well enough but I feel they just have much better films than this one. Castle in the Sky, I like this film but the English dub was a bit of a turn off for me. I think they could have done better with their voice choices. I liked the story as well but it's not a story I prefer to watch over and over. Howl's Moving Castle, I really enjoyed this one for the imagery and the 'wow that was bizarre!' moments. Calcifer is what makes this film for me too, he is just hilarious. I did think that Howl and Sophie suddenly falling in love seemed rather unlikely though, they are just too polar opposite to even come across as a feasible couple. Continued again in the post 3! =D
Arietty, it's loosely based on the novel The Borrowers, and I saw the original live action animated film 'The Borrowers'. It is very different both from the live action film and the novel and I think it really makes up for it's deviation from the original story with it's breath-taking visuals. I just couldn't take in enough of this film visually, it was absolutely stunning. I want this house! I want this yard! Too beautiful and honestly I wouldn't mind the tiny people living in it either. Ponyo! What can I say but? ... ponyo ponyo ponyo saka na no ko! Aoi umi kara yatte kita! [video=youtube;nKwurvmeJKU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKwurvmeJKU[/video] The song from this film, the Japanese song mind you, not that god-awful bunk sung by Joe bros kid brother and Miley Cyrus's kid sister thank you, is extremely fun and catchy. The story though is clearly meant for very, very young children. I would watch it again though and enjoy the stunning visuals as always. Pom Poko! This one should have been higher on my list here. My fiance and I LOVE this film. It is hilarious and just so fun to watch. I mean really, they are Tanuki, a mythical raccoon creature that can transform into other animals, objects and people and who use their testicles to do battle with, yes you heard me right, they use their testicles to beat the crap out of their enemies. You cannot watch this movie for the first time without busting out laughing at seeing all the balls on the male raccoons...oops I mean "raccoon pouch!" Haha, as they so kindly dubbed it. Their are a few other Ghibli films I have not seen yet that have no made it on my list but I intend to see them all as soon as I can. (I have seen Tales of Earthsea as well but I hated it. It was such a bore and I couldn't sit through the whole thing.)
great animation...one of my girls is a graphic illustrator/animator says Ghibli is one of the very best..my favourite has to be Totoro
