A Definitive Ranking of My Favorite Ghibli FIlms of All Time

Wednesday, May 6, 2020



Studio Ghibli movies are bizarrely fantastic with story lines that are not exactly realistic, which it shouldn't be, since most of the films are of the magical realism genre. It's not just about the story on the surface, but goes deeper when you dive just a little bit more away from the surface, and these movies fall on the spectrum of charming fantasies to harrowing devastation of life.

Everything from the magic of its story telling through the visual richness of the animation to the beautiful MEN (hehe) and even the emotional wreck it has given me have all contributed to one fact: I LOVE STUDIO GHIBLI. So you should try watching 'em too. :)

Since Netflix has released, most, if not all of the 22 (I think?) movies from Studio Ghibli, a lot of fan arts and fan videos have been floating around my newsfeed and I'm just all heart-eyes for it, so I decided to make a list of my all time fave movies from the ones that I have already watched. So just a little disclaimer, I have only watched a few and from those, I have picked 7 of them as my fave Ghibli movies of all time.

When Marnie Was There

The movie doesn't feel "Ghibli" at all, but despite that, I still love its little impact on me. It was so serious!!! Or so I feel? I don't know, it's just that I didn't feel the magic of Ghibli in this one but the story is good and I kept on guessing and guessing. It was a story of resentment that spans generations and how you can never truly be freed of anger if you have unresolved issues deep inside your heart.

In this story we follow asthmatic Anna who is angry at everything. Her foster parent, her biological parents, herself and just everything. Anna's foster parent decided that she could use a break in the country side and then we see series of day dreaming where Anna met a "ghost" named Marnie and they became friends and I shouldn't say more because you gotta find out for yourself who is Marnie and why is she friends with Anna.

Ponyo

This movie is so simple yet heart warming and so endearing that all kids will actually love and enjoy watching it over and over again. Ponyo is the Japanimated adaptaion of The Little Mermaid, but here we have Ponyo who sometimes becomes a chicken ahahahhaa, well, she really does have chicken feet! So Sosuke lives in a house on top of a cliff, and he rescued a fish trapped in a jar, which we learn to be Ponyo herself. After this, Ponyo wanted to be human and so she was transformed little by little and became friends with Sosuke. The movie talks about something bigger than it might seem at first glance, something about ecological balance and the coexistence of nature and human itself and all the other stuff. But you can actually mind that on your 2nd rewatch and just enjoy the lush underwater scenery and the magic that Ponyo will surely capture you in on your first watch.

My Neighbor Totoro

Just like Ponyo, this is also a feel good movie for everyone of all ages and you'll just find yourself pretty much head over heels in love with the cuteness of Mei and the overall innocence of the whole movie.

Since everything that we can see in this list revolves around human and nature, Totoro is so cool since we see more Japanese culture in this one. We see how Japanese respects the spirit of nature and history that is bound on a place that was there even before humans have inhabited the place. Don't get me wrong, after finishing the movie I was like, that's it? Where's the story?? But it's not much about the climax but how the story was told and how it's just fun to watch a movie that is just pure exploration of how a child sees the world that not an adult could actually understand. Also, in the movie, the two  kids' father acknowledges the stories of the kids and never once told them that it's not real. He listens and trusts his daughters with an open mind even when he don't understand how could all that her daughters are saying could be true.
7-5 4-3 2-1

1 comment

  1. I've only watched 3 Ghibli movies and I think my ranking is: Kiki, Howl's, then Spirited Away :D I'm pretty sure Grave of Fireflies will be my favorite though, I'm just gathering my courage to watch it because I know it will make me an emotional wreck *sobs*

    Tasya // The Literary Huntress

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