11 BuzzVerdicts, ranked by rating across Movies (9), PC Games (1), Mobile Games (1)
1988 · Isao Takahata · 89 min · Animation, Drama, War
Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most devastating films ever made, an anti-war masterpiece that uses animation to tell a story too painful for any other medium.
2001 · Hayao Miyazaki · 125 min · Animation / Fantasy
Spirited Away is one of those rare films that earns every bit of its reputation. Hayao Miyazaki built a world so vivid and strange that it feels like stepping into someone else's dream, and then he grounded the whole thing in a story about a scared kid learning to be brave. A small number of viewers bounce off the loose narrative structure or find themselves confused by the spirit world's unexplained rules, but the overwhelming majority walk away calling it one of the best animated films ever made. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for a reason, and twenty-five years later, nothing in animation has quite replicated what it does.
1988 · Hayao Miyazaki · 86 min · Fantasy
My Neighbor Totoro is one of those rare films that does something almost no other movie attempts, let alone pulls off. It tells a story about nothing dramatic and makes it feel like everything. Miyazaki's confidence in quiet moments, his trust that children's joy is compelling enough to carry a film, results in something that feels less like watching a movie and more like remembering what it was like to be small. It won't satisfy everyone, and it doesn't try to. That's part of why it works.
1997 · Hayao Miyazaki · 133 min · Fantasy
Princess Mononoke is Miyazaki at his most ambitious and his most furious. It's a sprawling, violent, morally complex fantasy that refuses to simplify anything, and it's better for it. The pacing asks for patience, and the lack of neat resolution will frustrate viewers who want clear answers. Those who meet the film on its own terms will find one of the most rewarding animated films ever made, a story that trusts its audience enough to leave them with questions instead of lessons.
1989 · Hayao Miyazaki · 103 min · Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Kiki's Delivery Service is a gentle, deeply felt coming-of-age story about creative burnout and self-discovery that resonates even more with adult viewers than with children.
1986 · Hayao Miyazaki · 124 min · Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Castle in the Sky is Studio Ghibli's rousing debut feature, a grand adventure packed with chases, robots, and Miyazaki's signature blend of wonder and environmental conscience.
1992 · Hayao Miyazaki · 94 min · Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Porco Rosso is Miyazaki's most personal and idiosyncratic film, a laid-back love letter to aviation, Italy, and the stubborn dignity of refusing to change.
2004 · Hayao Miyazaki · 119 min · Animation / Fantasy
Howl's Moving Castle is a film that enchants first and explains later, if it explains at all. Miyazaki's animation is breathtaking, Joe Hisaishi's score is among the best in the Ghibli catalog, and Sophie's journey from timid young woman to someone who actually likes herself is worth the price of admission. The plot loses its way in the second half, the war subplot never fully integrates, and first-time viewers will almost certainly leave with questions. These are real flaws, not minor quibbles. But there's a warmth and sincerity to this film that makes its rough edges feel like part of its charm rather than reasons to dismiss it.
2019 · JRPG · PC / Steam
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered is a visually enchanting JRPG that wears its Studio Ghibli collaboration as a badge of honor, delivering animated cutscenes and a world that looks like a playable film. The story of Oliver's journey to save his mother by traveling to a parallel fantasy world is heartfelt, the familiar system adds a creature-collecting layer, and Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack is extraordinary. The combat system is frustrating due to poor companion AI, and the game's pacing doesn't always match its charm. But as a fairy tale adventure, few games capture that feeling as effectively.
2008 · Hayao Miyazaki · 101 min · Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Ponyo is Miyazaki at his most childlike and uninhibited, a joyous explosion of hand-drawn color and imagination that prioritizes feeling over logic.
2022 · MMORPG
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds wraps aggressive monetization and pervasive automation inside one of the most beautiful art styles on mobile, creating a game that looks like a Studio Ghibli dream and plays like a free-to-play grind.