Studio Ghibli's best film is Spirited Away, right?

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I think for a a lot of people (Americans) it was their first Ghibli film. I think it and Howl (which I thought was a fucking mess of a movie) are Ghibli's most overrated films.
 
My personal number one is Howl's Moving Castle, for all its flaws. It probably helps that it was my first Ghibli movie.

Also, Nausicaa bored me to tears.
 
Hard to say, but I want to say The Tale of Princess Kaguya. That film resonated with me emotionally more than any of their other works.
 
I've seen Princess Mononoke the most for some reason, but I wouldn't put it near the top of the ones I've watched.
 
speedpop said:
Takahata is generally the better of the two. And I love the shit out of Miyazaki's efforts and consistently consider them some of the best films out there in terms of originality and character building. But Takahata is a god.
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Takahatas best may be better but Miyazaki has made at least 6 great films while Takahata is perhaps at 3.
 
I hate to rate a suite of good films really. Certainly wouldn't argue with Spirited Away though either. It's definitely an absolutely wonderful near perfect film.
 
Howl's general plot and deus ex machina causes it to be one of the lesser ghibli films imo.

It's hard to choose. I think I enjoy Kiki the most though. Sorry Rosso. ;-)
 
speedpop said:
Everyone knows that it's Only Yesterday.
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Yup. Followed by Princess Kaguya, Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbour Totoro, but Spirited Away would be towards the top with them. Not too fond of comparing them though as I think all the Ghibli feature films this side of Earthsea and The Cat Returns are excellent works, and comparisons, if not performed carefully, often serve to insult the lesser than exalt the greater.

What I do find more interesting is thinking about great scenes or shots across the whole catalogue, and Spirited Away has several of them, including probably the most haunting and unknowable scene in the Ghibli oeuvre (the train journey that takes Chihiro away from the bath house).
 
enigmatic_alex44 said:
12. Grave of the Fireflies
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This has to be way higher.
 
Hmm. I think Spirited Away moved me the most. But it isn't as re watchable as the others. For example I can watch Howls Moving Castle a million times and not get bored. Also Spirits away doesn't have the best characters. I love Sophie, Ashitaka etc more. Castle on the sky had the best music. But I still very much like Spirited away. My top 1-4 flip for me all the time though

1. Princess mononoke
2 Howls moving castle
3. Spirited away
4. Castle in the sky
5. Kikis delivery service
6. Ponyo( I actually liked it for what it was)

Grave of the fireflies was the saddest movie I've ever seen but I don't think it's better than the others. It's it's own different beast

Arrietty was a huge disappointment because I feel that there was so much more there to be explored and miyazaki could've done a much better job with it

Earthsea was a mess

Up on poppy hill was weird

Wind rises was boring to me but in retrospect wasnt that bad

I only saw a portion of the edited and dubbed version of Nausicaa on Cartoon Network years back

I haven't seen the rest
 
My top three are probably Whisper of the Heart, Princess Mononoke, and Only Yesterday. I do love Spirited Away, but not as much as when it was the only anime film I'd ever seen. Haven't gotten a chance to see Princess Kaguya yet, but I did not find The Wind Rises to be one of Miyazaki's best efforts (of the ones I've seen).
 
I like mononoke and nausucaa better, but spirited away certainly is a great film.

Also, no totoro love in this thread? Not my favorite, but I'd say it's his most charming movie. That and kiki
 
manzoman96 said:
I like mononoke and nausucaa better, but spirited away certainly is a great film.

Also, no totoro love in this thread? Not my favorite, but I'd say it's his most charming movie. That and kiki
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Yeah Totoro should be WAY higher, top 3 at least. Castle of Cagliostro is definitely my favorite Miyazaki film tho, Ghibli or not.
 
speedpop said:
Sometimes it takes brilliance to occur at longer intervals with less product :)
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Takahatas worst < Miyazakis worst as well. I do enjoy Takahatas low key stuff but they feel pretty 'traditional' Japanese cinema a lot. My Neighbor the Yamadas is charming but feels like an extended Sazaesan episode. Miyazaki is more unique.
 
I'm surprised at the love for Only Yesterday. I've seen it once and it was alright, but I have absolutely zero desire to watch it again.
 
Grave of the Fireflies, Kaguya, and Mononoke are definitely my top three. I really think Kaguya will be looked back on as a classic and one of Ghibli's best as time goes on. I didn't go into it with high expectations but it quickly shot up to #2 on my list after two viewings. Such a raw and powerful movie. Also it might be Joe Hisaishi's best work.
 
My top three Ghibli films. Only Yesterday at the top, Whisper of the Heart and Porco ever so slightly behind are my favorites.

Only Yesterday will always be my number one. The film just felt so calm, soothing and relaxing while also transporting you to this whole different time period where the characters act like real people and everything becomes so tangible that you swear that you could feel the sun shining on your skin and the wind blowing through your hair while watching it. The soundtrack is sublime and ever so powerful. It's a simple story, a quiet story that is very personal and yet inviting as you get pulled into this person’s life.

Whisper of the Heart is a film that has a place within my heart. One of the best looking Ghibli films in my opinion, a film that effortless captures the mannerisms and essence of two young people falling in love with each-other but also a story of trying to find your place within the world when you’re younger. A film that shows just how fleeting life truly is when you’re in that stage of life. We're always trying to discover that thing that defines us to the point that people can become disheartened as they wonder about without an identity. But that's the beauty of being young, you have time to learn more about yourself and discover your talent.

Porco Rosso is a film that centers around a Pig flying a plane, but even so it contains one of the most human characters in an animated film and a very human story about ones identity. A hauntingly beautiful soundtrack encapsulates this tragic yet poignant story about the wear that time has a person as they build up a history, both make and lose friends and ultimately how people define oneself on the past and where one person see's himself as a pig, others see the inner beauty, but sometimes, the past never lets go as we become cursed, forever carrying the burden on our shoulders.
 
Totoro is small and simple, and I love it.

Spirited Away feels like Ghibli on steroids. It's too much detail, all the time. I mean, I love it too and can understand why people would put it at the top, but Totoro will always be #1 for me.
 
Studio Ghibli's fantasy stuff is more complex and visually interesting, but I prefer their quieter slice-of-life films.
 
I'd go with:

fGtoy0Y.jpg


As far as why?
Nice and relaxing, fairly low on problems or stress, and things work out well in the end.
 
its my fave but its very very close to totorro, howls, and mononoke for me. Arietty is up there too. Grave of the fireflies can eat a dick though.
 
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Just wait for a few years to pass and everyone will be going crazy about this film, massively underrated.
 
I forgot about Earth Sea... Probably one of the worst films I've ever watched. Supremely bad. So they do have a real stinker now that I think about it.
 
Spirited Away is obviously my favorite, but Ghibli's best are really close and are all really great movies. That being said, my next few favorite are Nausicaa, Laputa, and The Wind Rises (need to watch this again since I thought it might beat Sporited Away when I saw it)
 
Nausicaa > Kaguyahime > who the fuck cares?
 
Mononoke is the best. Spirited Away is a close second, and my personal favorite.

Nausicaä is really good, but it's got some flaws. Nausicaä herself is basically Christ, and that's no fun. Also, everything about the movie feels kind of raw and unrefined, which makes sense given that it was essentially the first Ghibli movie. Still a really great movie though.
 
Nah, Princess Mononoke son. Spirited Away was the first film of theirs I saw and it is visually stunning throughout, but Mononoke is just a beautifully crafted film from the story to the design
 
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