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After a ten-year hiatus, famous director Hayao Miyazaki has broken his retirement for the long-awaited film called The Boy and The Heron (click here for the trailer) so in anticipation for this December movie release, I am going to be taking a look back at the animation studio that carried me through childhood and relive some of my favourite Ghibli films. 

ABOUT STUDIO GHIBLI

Housed in Japan, Studio Ghibli was created in 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Takahata Isao, and was produced by Toshio Suzuki.This studio has helped Japanese animation become popular to viewers across the globe. 

Among anyone who has seen these films, the soundtracks that accompany Ghibli animations are also one of the studio’s biggest trademarks, with Joe Hisaishi being the music producer and composer for the majority of these films. I personally love studying to the movie soundtracks.

SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

This was actually the first film I ever saw from Studio Ghibli, and is conveniently one of their most influential films. As of today, this movie is the second highest grossing Japanese film of all time, clocking in at 31.68 billion. 

In 2003, Spirited Away won Best Animated Feature at the 75th Oscar Award Ceremony. This is the only Ghibli film to win an Academy Award, but a lot of others have been nominated. This movie is also the only one to win this award while being a non-English-language animation and hand-drawn. 

MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (1988)

This movie is a true kids movie, but I still enjoy watching it. If you haven’t seen this film before, you’re missing a chance to see in animation the fictional animal that is Studio Ghibli’s mascot (and featured on their logo). The fictional character Totoro is a mix between a cat, owl, and racoon.

NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984)

If you want to see a princess who is a badass, animal-loving, and people protecting, then look no further than Nausicaä as your female protagonist. A number of Miyazaki’s films cover themes of war and destruction, and this is definitely one of them. With environmental issues thickly layered, one can draw a lot symbolically from the piece about what future we hold for our society. 

If you want to see more movies with strong female leads, there are a bunch of options within Ghibli’s filmography, such as: Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle or Kiki’s Delivery Service. 

Fun fact: Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind is technically not a studio Ghibli film, nor the studio’s first release (despite common belief), but has been given the honourary title of being so because the team that worked on this film is almost identical to the team who started the studio. Technically the first Ghibli Studio movie is Laputa: Castle in the Sky. 

PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997)

Similar to Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, this film features a strong female protagonist, and a world at war, but more uniquely the ethical dilemmas of environmental issues and the consequences of corrupted human nature. Fitting enough, this movie has the highest age rating of a Ghibli at a whopping PG-13 rating because it contains some graphic content. 

PONYO (2008)

This movie is a great example of the ‘for kids’ cartoons that the studio produces. They have a bunch of other films that fit into the category intended for a child to watch, but I personally still find this film visually exciting. Not to mention the beautiful themes of love and friendship. Also, to this day I dream about the ramen that Ponyo eats. 

TRADEMARKS OF STUDIO GHIBLI FILMS 

Next time you watch a Studio Ghibli movie, keep an eye out for some of the studio’s trademarks! 

  1. A fantastical world 
  2. Unusual creatures
  3. Moving soundtracks 
  4. Underlying meanings 
  5. Beautiful (or devastating) landscape shots 
  6. Compassionate and fearless protagonists 

VOICES TO LOOK OUT FOR 

Now if you’re like me and watch the English-dubbed versions then you’ve probably recognized a famous actor or actresses voice before. To list a few:

  • Kirsten Dunst as Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service
  • Christian Bale as ‘Howl’ in Howl’s Moving Castle
  • Ashley Tisdale as best friend Yuko Harada in Whisper of the Heart 
  • Uma Thurman as Kushana in Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind
  • Mark Hamill as ‘Colonel Muska’ in Castle In The Sky

Check out this article to find even more celeb dubs in these movies! 

Ashley Ciambrelli is the President and Campus Correspondent of the Her Campus Chapter at the University of Victoria. In this role, she oversees a high quality of professional writing and content creation for the U Vic Chapter. Ashley is currently in her fourth year at the University of Victoria where she is majoring in writing and minoring in journalism and publishing. She has always been passionate about writing. Ashley has been with Her Campus since the fall of 2022. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys drinking various types of tea while reading a mystery novel or watching any TV show she's already seen. As a true animal lover, she volunteers at the BC SPCA. She also loves photography and hopes to combine her passion for writing with visual media sometime in the future.