Studio Ghibli: Where To Start 

Below are Martha Kershaw’s Top Ten Ghibli films, listed in the ideal order for first-time viewers. 

 

1. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) 

The perfect choice for a rainy day! This wholesome tale is a bonafide comfort watch and is a great introduction to the Ghibli-verse. Set deep in the Japanese countryside, Totoro follows sisters Mei and Satsuki as they navigate their new environment. The family has relocated from the city in the aftermath of their mother’s illness. They are not alone though: an array of mythical creatures populates the neighbouring woodland. One creature is the colossal Totoro, a rabbit-bear-owl-hybrid. With a snappy 86-minute run-time, stuffed with childhood wonder and dreamy depictions of the tranquil countryside, Totoro is the ideal starting point on my list. 

 

2.  Spirited Away (2001) 

This Oscar-winning feature is the best-known film from the masterminds behind Studio Ghibli. Spirited is a tale of epic proportions, both weird and wonderful. Ten-year-old Chihiro is en route to her new home when her family decides to take a shortcut, stumbling across a derelict theme park. When Chihiro’s parents help themselves to the market food, they are irrevocably transformed by the spirits that haunt the park grounds. Chihiro must venture forth and enter the towering bathhouse, containing a hoard of fantastical creatures, in the hopes of saving her parents. She is confronted by Yubaba, the bathhouse matriarch, who strips Chihiro of her name and forces her into unpaid labour. As Chihiro fades away with each passing moment, she finds that she must embark on a series of quests to regain her disappearing identity and rescue her parents. You may have already seen scenes from Spirited Away: the twilight train journey across glimmering water, the dragon-back flight across the somnambulant countryside, or the distinctively eerie ‘No Face’. Director Hayao Miyazaki crams each frame full of breathtaking artistry, in this highly memorable and invigorating fantasy. 

 

3. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 

Sophie is a hard worker: she spends her days crafting and selling hats in her small town, resigned to a quiet life. Every sense of the ordinary is thrown into chaos, however, when a vengeful witch curses her. Sophie rapidly ages, transitioning from a teen to an elder. She must resolve the curse by embarking on a journey with a wizard and his companions, aboard a mobile castle. Howl retains the magical splendour of Spirited and the astonishing landscape vistas of Totoro, whilst crafting a complex narrative of unconventional love. Howl stresses the necessity of friendship in the face of mindless destruction, and how the most unlikely of meetings can lead to the most fulfilling endeavours. 

 

4. Princess Mononoke (1997) 

Now that you’ve seen Spirited Away, you’re ready for a whole other feat of mystical creatures. Mononoke is set during the ancient Muromachi period of Japan and traces the footsteps of the tribal prince, Ashitaka. The increasing industrialisation of the neighbouring mountain regions has disturbed and poisoned the creatures, leading to a series of attacks on humans. Ashitaka is infected during one of these animal rampages and must cut all ties with his tribe, venturing forth into the forest for a potential antidote. Deep in the wilderness, Ashitaka stumbles across the aloof San, a young human girl who was raised by wolves. San finds humans intolerable: to her, they are symbols of destruction and chaos. However, Ashitaka and San must learn to tolerate each other since the environment is collapsing and the spirits are under threat of extinction. Mononoke is wildly imaginative, beautifully rendered, and particularly poignant in the face of impending climate catastrophe. 

 

5. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) 

Kiki is, to me, the quintessential coming-of-age film. Kiki, a teen witch-in-training, is on the precipice of adolescence. On her thirteenth birthday, according to family tradition, she must set off on her broomstick and find a new town to establish roots in. Kiki and her humorous sidekick Jiji, a black cat, soon settle in a harmonious seaside town. The pair find accommodation at a picturesque bakery, where Kiki begins her delivery service. But it’s not all smooth sailing for the young witch, who encounters various struggles on her journey towards independence. A charming tale about fitting in whilst standing out, Kiki is a certified comfort film. 

 

6. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) 

Nausicaä envisions a post-apocalyptic future, in the aftermath of a disastrous war. The remaining humans are divided into tribes, finding safe havens amidst the hostile land and mutant insect species. Nausicaä is the princess of a valley, where winds ward off the airborne toxic pollens, and she longs for the unity of her people and the wildlife. When neighbouring tribes threaten her and her townsfolk’s livelihoods, as well as launching a cascade of irreversible climate disasters, Nausicaä must attempt to resolve the enduring divides between humans and animals. Nausicaä is the perfect heroine: courageous, switched-on, and fiercely loyal to her peers and her land. Although not technically a Ghibli film, Nausicaä was certainly the precursor to the studio’s formation. This one requires a more attentive viewership than Kiki and Totoro, but it is a worthy watch on account of the titular protagonist (and for the fact that it’s one of my all-time favourites). And, if you enjoy Nausicaä, there are over 1000 pages of Miyazaki’s manga to pore over! 

 

7. Ponyo (2008) 

Ponyo aptly borrows from The Little Mermaid folktale. This delightful seaside tale chronicles the adventures of Ponyo, a young fish, and Sōsuke, a five-year-old human boy. Ponyo weaves traditional folklore into an exploration of found family, and the difficult decisions we must make to grow. The Ghibli creators don’t shy away from the complicated feelings spurred on by loss, identity changes, and kinship. Warning: this film will make you hungry! From sizzling ramen to steaming hot honey-milk tea, Ponyo indulges in the comforts of domesticity and renews our appreciation for hearty, homemade food. 

 

Grave of the Fireflies is a reminder of the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon humans in times of war and refreshes our ongoing calls for peace.

 

8. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 

Get your tissues ready- this one will absolutely wreck you. Director Isao Takahata packs all the punches in this devastating feature. Set in the throes of WW2, siblings Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive amidst the flurry of American bombs and decreasing food supplies. Setsuko’s childhood exuberance in the face of such hardship is genuinely heart-wrenching. The motif of the fireflies becomes increasingly consequential, at once ingenious and emotionally devastating. Grave of the Fireflies is a reminder of the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon humans in times of war and refreshes our ongoing calls for peace. Every child should be entitled to a safe, healthy life, and the chance to play without fear.  

 

9. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013) 

Now that you’re well acquainted with the classic Ghibli style, you can embrace the alternative imagery of Princess Kaguya. Takahata departs from the traditional Ghibli aesthetic, comprising his film of dreamy watercolour vistas and delicate charcoal strokes. A bamboo cutter discovers a miniature girl in the centre of a stalk and decides to raise her for nobility. The adopted child grows to resent her life of confinement and longs for her bygone days of freedom. Kaguya is a favourite of long-time Ghibli fans, a harmonious balance between sweet storytelling and goose-bump-inducing craftsmanship. The most minute details are rendered consequential under Takahata’s gaze, from the gentle freefall of the blushed cherry blossom to the illuminating moonlight across the dusky woodland. This endearing fable will stay with you for a long time. 

 

10. The Boy and The Heron (2023) 

It would feel wrong to finish this list with anything other than Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film (and apparently his last). The Boy and The Heron is a conglomeration of Ghibli’s extensive filmography. The 2023 release is at once a refreshed perspective and a retrospective goodbye. The Boy is a dynamic portrayal of generational trauma and the subsequent retreat into the imaginative realm. The expansive worldbuilding, accompanied by a creative deployment of movement, makes for an awe-inspiring watch. The birds are a particularly impressive feat, metamorphosing a regular fleet of parakeets into an anthropomorphic collective in a split second. The shapeshifting Heron provides a comedic touch to the film, with Robert Pattinson’s cackling voiceover a particularly amusing feature. For those who prefer dubbed versions, the star-studded cast for the English-language version includes Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, and Christian Bale. Miyazaki interrogates the importance of legacies and farewells, seeming to conceptualise the generational burdens of Studio Ghibli, as he himself prepares to hand down his responsibilities.