Top 10 Must-Watch Studio Ghibli Films

After watching so many films and studying many more while I earned my degree in Film Studies, I got to thinking about what really got me so interested in film in the first place. I remembered watching Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service so many times when I was young that my grandmother gave me the nickname Kiki, which my family still calls me to this day. Studio Ghibli has never once disappointed me with their films, I may not like some as much as others, but I've liked them enough to start collecting every film they have ever produced.

These are my top 10 favorite Studio Ghibli films, even though it was hard to decide which of the many films to put on this list. I definitely recommend watching all of these films, if you can, as each one is just as amazing as the next.

'Kiki's Delivery Service'

Kiki's Delivery Service was one of the first Studio Ghibli films I watched as a child and started my search to watch more Studio Ghibli films. The story centers around a young witch named Kiki who sets off to work on her own as a witch. Kiki and her pal Jiji (the black cat) search for a town to start off her witch training on her own and find a nice town by the seaside to call home. She starts a delivery service by broomstick where she starts to make friends and meet the people of the town. Kiki deals with challenges along the way which causes her to lose her abilities until she learns how to cope with the challenges life brings and get back on her feet.

It's a great story for any young child beginning to realize life's challenges and the struggles of growing up. Kiki's Delivery Service has an amazing soundtrack and the illustration is just beautiful. Nothing less for a Studio Ghibli film.

'Howl's Moving Castle'

Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most famous Studio Ghibli films as the English translation was able to grab big star voices, such as Christian Bale and Billy Crystal. Once I discovered this film, I honestly watched it about four or five times in a row. I just couldn't get enough.

Howl's Moving Castle centers around a young, beautiful girl named Sophie whose life is very uneventful as she works at her late father's hat shop. She spends most of her days working at the shop and then travelling home, with no other excitement. It's when she happens to meet a handsome young wizard named Howl that her whole life changes. Sophie and Howl begin to get closer to one another and that closeness causes the Witch of Waste to become jealous of their relationship and casts a curse on Sophie causing her to go from a beautiful young woman to a very old woman. Sophie then goes to Howl to see if he can somehow help with the curse while also discovering the hardships a young wizard like Howl goes through.

'Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind'

This film made me cry. The way she fights for what she believes is right and the struggle for the world to get back to peace is very moving. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind takes place in the future after the world is mostly in ruins after an apocalyptic event devastated most of the land. Humans are now scattered across the world, living in semi-hospitable environments, surrounded by the toxic jungle. Nausicaä has a talent for communicating with the massive insects that now roam the Earth and fights to help bring peace back to the planet.

'Whisper of the Heart'

Whisper of the Heart is a great film about growing up and young romance. The soundtrack is, once again, amazing and the story connects to another Studio Ghibli film that is later on in this list.

The film centers around a young girl named Shizuku who goes to school, hangs out with friends and helps out a home. She's also a very well-read girl and notices one day that the same name keeps appearing in all of the books that she is checking out from the library. Shizuku then carries out a mission to find this young man who reads the same books she does and along the way befriends a cat, an antique shop owner, and starts writing her first novel, as she yearns to become a writer when she gets older.

'When Marnie Was There'

This film is another master piece by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli as it focused on a young tomboyish girl named Anna who struggles with her foster family and not knowing who her biological family is. She's also very introverted and doesn't go out of her way to make friends, so when she gets sent to a seaside town after she has an asthma attack in the city, she didn't intend to really get close to anyone.

It isn't until Anna sees the mysterious mansion across the way from where she is staying that she becomes curious of its history and who may live there as she has a strange feeling of familiarity. She then begins taking multiple trips to the mansion where she meets a young girl named Marnie. They swear to keep all their meetings secret and in doing so Anna discovers the secrets of Marnie's family as well as her own.

'The Cat Returns'

Another great film to watch if you are looking for a fantastic adventure and an escape to another world. The film centers around high school student Haru after she happens to rescue a cat that was almost run over by a truck. That small act of kindness is what sends Haru on an incredible journey. The cat she rescued just happened to be a prince named Lune and the Cat King demands that Haru must marry his son in the Cat Kingdom. She is thrust into this new realm where she starts to slowly develop feline features and isn't allowed an escape until she is assisted by the Baron and Toto, who are statues given life to be of assistance.

'The Red Turtle'

This film is very interesting as it wasn't solely produced by Studio Ghibli and it has no dialogue at all. The story centers around a man who has been shipwrecked on an island with no food or shelter. After struggling for awhile with what to do and how he is going to survive, he begins to start building a raft that will hopefully get him off the island. Unfortunately for him though every time he seems to set sail on his raft, something keeps destroying the raft before he can get any distance from the island. He then realizes that it is this giant red turtle that isn't letting him leave.

I found it very interesting to watch and ended up really enjoying this film (as it made the list). It did take a little bit to adjust to the fact that there was no dialogue, but the way you hear the sounds of the ocean and the environment really immerses you into the film. (I also recommend watching with surround sound to really enhance the film.)

'Castle in the Sky'

One of the better known Studio Ghibli films Castle in the Sky follows the story of two young children Sheeta and Pazu. Sheeta has been kidnapped by Col. Muska who is flying her to a military prison when the ship gets attack by pirates led by Dola. Sheeta happens to escape as the ship is getting attacked by the pirates during a mid-air collusion and is saved by both the mysterious crystal that hangs on her neck and Pazu ,who catches her. The two then go on a journey to find the floating city of Laputa while trying to dodge both Col. Muska and Dola and her pirates along the way.

'Spirited Away'

This one has got to be the most famous Studio Ghibli film there is. Everything about this film is great, the artwork, soundtrack, and, of course, the story. I watched this film when I was much younger and thought it was slightly scary just because of how the characters are drawn. It took me awhile before I watched the film again, but when I did, I fell in love with it.

The story centers around 10-year old Chihiro, who is moving with her parents to a new home. While they are driving to their new home, they discover an abandoned amusement park where Chihiro gets separated from her parents. She manages to find them only to discover they have been transformed into giant pigs. Somehow they've managed to wind up in a park that is for supernatural beings who need a break from the earth realm. So it's kind of considered a supernatural spa resort. She meets Haku who tells her what she must do to help rescue her parents, which forces her to grow up and work on her own to get her parents back.

The film resonates with a lot of younger child and now, after watching it as an adult, I really see it illustrating how everyone has to grow up, even if it may not be the most fun thing to do.

'The Wind Rises'

Last, but not least, The Wind Rises gives us a film inspired by the aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi who created the A6M World War II fighter plane. The film centers around Jiro, who is inspired to make planes after seeing so many skillful designs by none other than designer Caproni. Jiro himself couldn't become a pilot due to his sight, but sets off to become an aeronautical engineer.

The film follows along very well with how Jiro's life chronologically played out and gives it another magical element with the illustration. Not one of my most favorite films by Studio Ghibli, but still a very great film to watch.

What's your favorite Studio Ghibli film from this list?