Studio Ghibli Movie Review – Mononoke

The visuals will never quite match the soaring emotions the characters’ struggles and triumphs evoke, but damned if they don’t come close. The ending comes out of nowhere, even by the standards of children’s fantasy. Connect that to animation that is serviceable—vibrant backgrounds, great ‘90s fashion and blah characters—yet without real reason (this could easily have been a live-action coming-of-age slice of life), and the film mostly feels like what it was: A proving ground more than an A-list effort.—Jacob Oller Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi The Clock family are little four-inch-tall people who live in the walls of a house occupied by a kindly family.

It ranks this low because there just isn’t a lot going on here. (In a Ghibli film?! The sprawling cast of the tanuki community bands together to fight the encroaching humans.

I would’ve loved to place this charmer higher. Her name is Marnie, and it soon becomes clear there is a lot more to her than there first appears to be. The twist isn’t that Marnie and Anna’s friendship is a lot closer and a lot more intimate than you might expect in a kid’s film—seriously, I have watched tons of anime and it only means one thing when a young girl’s cheeks flush like Anna’s do in Marnie’s presence.

Miyazaki is at his most daring and wistful when you give him flying machines to play with, and Castle is one of his most imaginative adventures. This one is a can’t-miss for anybody who loves a good adventure story. God knows I’ve felt that way before.

Director Hayao Miyazaki I promise this high ranking for Mononoke is not merely because it was my first experience with Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli in a theater in the States. Director: Hayao Miyazaki “The wind is rising. History is decided by powerful forces that are not kind, and it doesn’t always get better, Miyazaki says.

Who Founded Studio Ghibli?

by Ben Travis | If you’re looking for animated magic, look no further than the movies of Studio Ghibli – the legendary Japanese animation house behind some of the most beloved films of all time. Founded by masters of the medium Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Ghibli are celebrated for their stunningly beautiful worlds, imaginative whimsical charm, and their deep emotionality, crystallising complex feelings into intuitive imagery that speaks right to the heart. From the epic fantasy of Spirited Away, to the cosy charm of My Neighbour Totoro, to more grounded historical fare like Grave Of The Fireflies and The Wind Rises, the studio has brought culturally-specific anime stories to a global audience, on the complete other end of the spectrum to Pixar.

All 22 Studio Ghibli films offer a collection rich with fantastical folktales and fairy tales, cutesy classics, expansive epics, and charming coming-of-age films – there really is something for everyone in the Ghibli output. And, obviously, since they’re all worth watching, there is no ‘worst’ animated feature here – just least-best, to best-best. Whether you’re new to the Ghibli filmography or an established fan ready to dive back into repeat viewings – and remember, the majority of Studio Ghibli films are available to stream right now on Netflix in the UK – read on for Empire’s ranking.