And I am back with reviews for the second half of the Studio Ghibli films!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve fairly recently had a chance to devour almost all of the Studio Ghibli films and fell utterly in love with these Japanese animated movies filled to the brim with heart and magic and creating the every day into something enchanting. Truly, these are beloved stories for a reason.

In my last post I reviewed the first half of them, and I’m here today to share all my (many) thoughts on the second half!

Read Part One Here!

Studio Ghibli in Review
(Part 2)

Spirited Away

On the way to their new house, ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents explore a strange tunnel that leads to a seemingly abandoned town. Tragedy strikes when Chihiro’s parents are cursed as pigs and she is thrust into the world of spirits and witches. In order to free her parents, Chihiro takes on a job at a magical bathhouse where she must find her courage…and maybe meet some unlikely friends.

This is a fitting one to start out with because I suspect, when Studio Ghibli is mentioned, a lot of us first think of this movie. It is by far the most popular and critically acclaimed Ghibli film out there, and with good reason!

There’s something about this movie. I honestly can’t even put my finger on it. It’s weird, sometimes a tad icky, and did I mention weird? Because…yeah.

(That giant baby though. o.o)

But despite these things, it pulls you in, entrances you, and stick with you long after the credits have rolled. Perhaps it’s because somehow it’s one of the most unique stories out there and yet still captures what it is to be human and scared and finding your courage and growing up. It doesn’t let its strange magic and unusual plotline take away from the down-to-earth emotion that sucks you in and makes you feel like you are Chihiro experiencing such a horrendous string of events.

I don’t know. It’s just good, guys! So, so good.

Chihiro is such an interesting character in that she starts out whiny and bratty and really not that likable. But that’s the point. The story really isn’t about a weird bathhouse for spirits and the greedy witch who rules over it all. It’s about a ten-year-old girl finding her courage and growing up. Chihiro’s character arc is powerful and digs right to the soul of us viewers.

Then, of course, there’s Haku, the mysterious boy who helps Chihiro through her journey and just— !!! Haku is the best, the absolute best. Honestly, everyone Chihiro meets through her hard journey just captures your heart and makes you smile with their antics.

This movie is an experience. That is the best way I can describe it. Though it’s not my top favorite Ghibli film, it’s certainly one of my favorites. And I entirely agree with pretty much everyone else in saying it’s the most well produced movie of the entire Ghibli collection. Absolutely one every Ghibli fan needs to give a watch.

The Cat Returns

One day, Haru, a shy high school student, discovers she can talk to cats. Things only get stranger when she’s stolen away to the Cat Kingdom by the King as a bride for his son. With the help of a suave cat known as the Baron, she tries to find a way to escape the Cat Kingdom before becoming a cat herself.

This was a fun one! Though I will say, it is one of the few that doesn’t really feel like a Ghibli film. The art style is a bit different and the quality cheaper. Honestly, it felt a lot more like a North American cartoon, making it not quite as immersive and unique to me as most of the rest. BUT as far as just being a fun little animated movie to watch for some entertainment—it’s perfect.

This is technically a sequel to Whisper of the Heart, though it’s so loosely connected and such a different style of film, you’d by fine seeing one without watching the other.

This was just a fun little romp of a movie about a girl swept into a kingdom of talking cats and slowly becoming one herself. Though it lacks the heart and depth of most Ghibli films, it makes up for it with humor. I was giggling through the entire thing. And, really, how can you go wrong with a whole magical kingdom of talking cats? I didn’t really understand why Haru wanted to leave but to each their own. If I recall, this one was perfectly clean and tame, suited well for a younger audience.

But the real reason to watch this? The Baron is voiced by Cary Elwes. And you can’t beat Cary Elwes playing a smooth-talking, suave cat. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

Howl’s Moving Castle

When young milliner Sophie crosses a vindictive witch who curses her to have the body of an elderly woman, Sophie casts her lot with the infamous wizard Howl, posing as his cleaning lady. But life in Wizard Howl’s moving castle is anything but peaceful for an old woman, and mousy Sophie must learn how to stand up for what she believes in as she is thrust in this new life of magic and mayhem.

At last we come to my tippity top favorite Ghibli film of them all!

After I read Howl’s Moving Castle and it became my favorite book of ALL TIME, I knew I had to see the film. And, shockingly, I loved it. I say shockingly because it’s nothing like the book, even the characters are wildly different. One would think when they completely change up my favorite book I’d be a tad disgruntled, but that’s the magic of Ghibli. I wasn’t even mad. This film is so charming I fell completely in love, changes and all.

(I mean, yes, I’d love an adaptation that’s exclusively the book scene-by-scene but, alas, we do not live in a perfect world.)

For me, I don’t even see this movie as an adaptation of the book. It’s entirely its own thing. They’re separate entities and I love them each in their own way. And since this is a movie review post and not a book to movie comparative post, let’s talk about the movie.

I feel like this one encompasses everything there is to find in a Ghibli film. It’s charming and cozy and homey, while at the same time magical and adventurous and sometimes pretty out there. But all together it is utterly enchanting.

The first half starts off fairly calm, and the peaceful atmosphere just sucks you in. (Seriously, can I please live in this world with its ocean side towns and windy, flowery fields?) As we get deeper into the story, things definitely begin to take a wilder turn, but I was totally here for it as well. I won’t spoil things, but it had a lot of plot points I absolutely love.

But, of course, the real charm and reason for watching is the characters. Disaster child Markl who tutors under Howl, the snarky fire demon Calcifer (“May all your bacon burn!”), formerly mousy Sophie who discovers the fire within herself while still having so much compassion, and the infamous, cocky, ever smooth-talking and charming Wizard Howl himself. This little motley crew will steal your heart, I guarantee it. Howl and Sophie are hands down my favorite Ghibli pairing, which is saying something but AWK. Ghibli knows how to make even the coldest, stoniest hearts melt and ship these couples with the best of ’em.

If you haven’t seen this one, you absolutely need to. It’s cozy and beautiful and weird and I love every second of it.

Also, if you’ve never heard the Main Theme Song of this movie you haven’t truly lived. I’ve been known to listen to it on repeat for hours at a time…

Tales from Earthsea

After fleeing his castle under mysterious means, Prince Arren runs into archmage Sparrowhawk who takes the boy under his care. During their travels, they rescue a young girl, Therru, from slavers and find refuge with an old friend of Sparrowhawk’s at her farm. But evil forces are at the heels of both Arren and Sparrowhawk, and the lives of all may be in peril if they do not stop it.

Many consider this Ghibli’s worst film. I wouldn’t go that far, but I do agree it’s got some issues.

This story is loosely based off a collection of short stories by author Ursula K. Le Guin, though I’ve never read this collection so I can’t give a comparison there, but I’ve heard the two are extremely different.

The biggest problem for me was how disjointed the story was with next to no explanation for…anything. I think it could have been a spectacular story. The worldbuilding was so intriguing and the characters extremely engaging. The villain himself was downright chilling, and the plot seemed interesting except, again, nothing was explained. You had this huge world and mysterious characters and vast plot and epic elements and none of it was USED. Over half the film was spent on the farm doing manual labor instead of actually…exploring this big epic world and plot we were given at the beginning?

There was so much potential, but it was woefully wasted and it makes me sad. Because I know I could have really loved this one if the execution had been done well.

As I said, the characters really engages you. Quiet and broken Arren stole my heart, Sparrowhawk with his mysterious past and kindness was everything you want in your staple mentor character, and that villain was something else! I was really intrigued by the magical, medieval world and the many dangers and enchantments found within. It had everything you’d want in an epic fantasy. But, again, it was all wasted with a terribly disjointed plot and most of the screentime spent at a farm doing nothing.

It’s entertaining enough to watch if you’re a Ghibli fan and want to see all the films, but if you’re looking for a solid plot you may want to look elsewhere.

Due to some scary and pretty intense and dark scenes, I wouldn’t recommend this for a younger audience.

Ponyo

Ponyo, a little fish curious about the great big world, escapes her home and befriends a little human boy, Sosuke. But Sosuke soon learns Ponyo is more than just a regular fish, and he and his mother are caught up in a wondrous whirlwind of events where they and Ponyo all discover far more about the world and themselves than any of them realized.

THIS WAS THE CUTEST FILM.

I would personally say this is the most kiddie of all the Ghibli movies (though Totoro and The Cat Returns are in the running for that claim as well), but I loved it in all its adorable, quirky glory.

As with so many of the other movies, despite being so, so odd, this film captures human emotion and the realism of the ups and downs of life at such a deep level. At the same time, it is simply a delightful film with so very many laugh-out-loud scenes and the cutest characters.

Ponyo and Sosuke are, I believe, the youngest Ghibli protagonists to date, being kindergarten age, and the story really reflects that with their adorable mishaps and way of thinking. Seriously, I don’t know how these movies capture childhood to such perfection, but my goodness do they ever. (If you’re researching how to write children well, just watch a Ghibli movie!) To add appeal to an older audience, we also have Sosuke’s mom, Lisa, who was honestly my favorite of the whole film. She was a RIOT. Both loving and stubborn and will do anything to keep her loved ones safe…even if she is a horribly reckless driver. You can really tell she’s a younger mom with her decision making and madcap tendencies, but she means well and loves so fiercely. We also get a glimpse of Sosuke’s dad and I so wish we had more, because he was great.

This movie just makes me smile. It’s fun and adorable and hilarious and the scenery. Sosuke’s house on the cliff by the sea is truly the dreamhouse.

If you’re looking for a weird and delightful romp of a film suitable for the whole family, give Ponyo a watch! If nothing else, just watch it for Lisa. She was gold. XD

The Secret World of Arrietty

Arrietty and her family are “Borrowers”, tiny people living under the shadows of the humans. One day, when Arrietty goes with her father on their first “borrowing” where they take from the human house only the essentials they need to live, she runs into a human boy. Sho is visiting his aunt in the country, and is delighted to find these little people living beneath the floorboards. Over time, he and Arrietty grow a friendship. But these two unlikely friends are soon to learn the dangers of humans discovering the existence of Borrowers.

This was my second ever Ghibli film to see, and it is a great starting point if you want to dip your toes into the world of Ghibli without diving headfirst into some of the more peculiar ones.

Arrietty is a sweet and quiet film based off The Borrowers novel. Set in the middle of summer in a charming home nestled in a rural area, this movie sweeps you away with its atmospheric setting and Celtic inspired music.

I loved Arrietty herself with her brave, adventurous spirit, curiosity, and compassion. Her gruff but ultimately loving and protective father and nervous wreck of a mother were great too. But I especially loved Sho, a young man born with a heart condition and trying to find peace with his lot in life. As someone with a congenital heart condition myself, Sho’s struggles touched me in the deepest places. His kind heart and growth brought tears to my eyes and inspired me in so many ways.

This is just a beautiful film with a deceptive amount of depth in its simplicity. It is one of my favorites, and one I highly recommend.

From Up on Poppy Hill

In 1960s Japan, Umi meets fellow high schooler Shun, a member of the school’s newspaper club. Seeing the demolished state of the school’s clubhouse, Umi decides to take on the task of organizing a restoration crew made up of students to polish the place up. But time is limited. A businessman has his eyes on demolishing the place and using it for redevelopment. If the students can’t restore their clubhouse in time, they’ll lose it forever.

This is one of the more obscure movies that no one ever seems to talk about, and I don’t know why, because it was adorable.

Umi was such an engaging character. So hard working and always there for the people she loved. I adored Shun too, and how the story explored the layers of people and looking beyond first impressions.

It’s the type of movie with both heart and humor. I was so amused over all these students working together to restore their debilitated clubhouse. There were definitely some shenanigans and mishaps involved. But instead of the usual drama you’d expect from a group of high schoolers, we get a bunch of passionate teens coming together and working hard for what they believe in.

It was a sweet and fun movie, with a touch of emotion and a lot of heart. All was clean as well, except one brief scene where two guys were having a conversation at a urinal. Not sure why they had to have the conversation there, but yeah. Nothing was shown of course, and otherwise it was just a cute, nostalgic sort of story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises is a fictionalized biographical film of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft and its successor, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, used by the Empire of Japan during World War II. It tells the story of Jiro’s life from his young days dreaming of being a pilot, to being employed at an aircraft manufacturer, to falling in love, and all the struggles and joys in between.

I’d say this is one of the more adult Ghibli films, not because of content, but simply because of the story it’s trying to tell. While most Ghibli movies have themes of growing up, this one focuses on the ups and downs of adulthood.

Based off a real historical figure, this is a thoughtful film about life and careers and pursuing dreams and failure and rising up again. It’s a slow story, gradually carrying us through Jiro’s life as he attempts to design a fighter pilot, moves up in ranks, meets the love of his life, and experiences both wins and heartbreaks through it all.

It’s not the most charming or lighthearted of the films, but there’s something about it that sticks with you in its thoughtful narrative. I really felt like I lived with Jiro and experienced his journey with him. And there was such a depth to his character in his hardships and passions.

Also the love story woven through it is just— *clutches heart* So precious. So, so precious.

It’s a slow, heavy movie sometimes, but I still think it’s worth a watch. It explores a large depth of life and humanity with touching themes of pursuing one’s dreams and living life to the fullest, no matter what. It’s the type to make you think and stick with you. Though, fair warning, you’re going to want to have some tissues on hand…

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

One day a humble bamboo cutter discovers a tiny girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. Thinking she must be a divine presence, he and his wife raise the child, calling her “Princess”. Over time, she grows to normal size and lives happily in her simple life. But as she reaches girlhood, her father believes she is meant for something more and relocates the family to a fine home in the capital where she can learn to be a proper princess. But in this new, restricted life, Kaguya struggles with the hardships of growing up and finding one’s identity.

I was so excited when I realized this film is based off a popular Japanese fairy tale, The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon-child. I am always here for more fairy tale adaptations! Unfortunately, I had…mix feelings on this one.

Honestly, I think this was a true masterpiece of a movie. It was thoughtful and deep and emotional with a unique art style and some complex themes. But it also had a very dark, melancholy tone and hopelessness about it that didn’t settle well with me. I think this is very much an “it’s me, not you” sort of situation. I can appreciate this movie for being masterfully done, but it’s not one I really would want to watch over and over. Still, I’m glad I did watch it at least once. Because it really is such a different and intriguing one.

For one, it doesn’t go for traditional animation, but instead takes on a super simplistic, hand drawn art style. At first I wasn’t sure I liked it, but after a while I grew to appreciate the uniqueness of it and how the style would often go from light to dark colors to capture the emotion of the narrative without distracting from it. It was a very interesting and original way to tell the story.

Princess Kaguya herself truly held the story together with the depth of her emotions as she navigates the struggles of growing up and being forced into a life she doesn’t want. I think this story unsettled me because it captured her hardships and fears and sorrow so intensely, I was feeling it all too.

It’s a thoughtful tale, but also a very dark one, and if you know the original fairy tale, you know it’s not exactly a happily ever after. At the same time, I found this interpretation of the fairy tale fascinating. It held all the same beats of the original story, while expanding on them and giving some very interesting reasons to the unexplained plot points. I loved seeing this take on the fairy tale, it was just an intense, sad tale that left me feeling melancholy. But it’s also one I think about a lot. Like with The Wind Rises, it really sticks with you long after it’s over.

As I said, it’s a masterpiece of a film. Just not entirely my cup of tea. If you enjoy Ghibli movies and fairy tales and don’t mind some darker themes and bittersweet endings, I do recommend this one. But if you want to stick with the more lighthearted ones, this may not be the best one to dive into.

Also a warning, there is straight up nudity in this one. I guess since the art style is so simplistic they thought they could get away with it? I don’t know, but there are a lot of children without any clothes on throughout the film, and in one scene a mother goes to nurse a baby and absolutely everything is shown… Plus, like I said, things can get pretty intense sometimes. There’s also a couple of instances of married men pining over a woman. I would definitely say this one has the most content out of all the Ghibli films.

When Marnie Was There

When visiting her relatives one summer in a little town in the wetlands, teenage Anna discovers a seemingly abandoned mansion nestled across the marsh. It is there she meets Marnie, a girl in desperate need of a friend…like her. As the summer progresses these two girls grow a close bond, and through this unexpected meeting Anna learns much about her past and herself.

Yet another film I knew nothing about and haven’t seen many people talk about but oh— *clutches heart* I don’t know why this isn’t a more popular one, because what an endearing, touching story it is.

In the slow, thoughtful, beautiful way Ghibli is the master of, this film carries you through Anna’s summer as she struggles with low self-esteem and loneliness and comes across a lively girl who seems her exact opposite, but has the same struggles of Anna hidden beneath her cheery exterior.

It’s hard talking about this movie, because the true awe in it are the many reveals and plot twists that slowly unfold along the way. It is a nostalgic sort of film with a mystery ever lurking around the edges, and I was captivated from start to finish.

I also found it refreshing how the main theme of this one is friendship and family bonds. Don’t get me wrong, you know I adore the many Ghibli romantic couples, but it was nice having at least one film that rooted its themes in familial and platonic love, with very little in the way of romance.

It’s a little more melancholy than some, but not in a dark way. This film captures the wistful summer days of childhood, the mistakes we make, finding one’s worth, and where one belongs in the world. It is a truly beautiful and thoughtful film that brought tears to my eyes.

Please do yourself a favor and give this one a watch. Perfectly clean, utterly engaging, and heartbreakingly beautiful, I cannot recommend it enough.

It’s also apparently based off a book of the same name which I didn’t even realize until the credits rolled and now I really want to give the book a try!

Earwig & the Witch

10-year-old, rambunctious Earwig enjoys her life in the orphanage where she has everyone wrapped around her finger and can get into all sorts of hijinks. So she’s not at all pleased when a strange couple, Bella Yaga and Mandrake, adopt her. Turns out, Bella Yaga is a witch, and she only adopted Earwig for an extra pair of hands. Not having that, Earwig takes matters into her own hands and sleuths around her new strange house, trying to uncover its many secrets and a way of escape.

This is actually Ghibli’s second movie based off a Diana Wynne Jones books. Shamefully, I’ve not read this book, so I can’t compare to how it holds up, but I will say this movie falls terribly flat.

Earwig is Ghibli’s latest film, releasing just last year. It is also their foray into 3D CG. Sadly, it didn’t go over very well. For one, the animation style strips away the usual charm of a Ghibli film, giving it a cheaper and more typical look. Secondly, the CG is super stiff, making everyone look doll-like and awkward.

To add to that, nothing really happened in this one. And though a lot of the Ghibli films can get away with that, this one just fell flat as it was lacking all charm and heart. It could have been good, the setup was fun, the characters interesting, and the mystery engaging. But it was another one of those films that wasted its time with little nothing scenes instead of getting to the heart of the story. The movie literally ended right when it was getting good, with very little in explanation of any of the backstory of these mysterious and interesting characters. If anything, it should have started where it ended and gone from there. As it was, there just didn’t seem to be much point to it. Which was sad because it had great potential!

Negatives aside, it certainly wasn’t all bad. Earwig herself was a hilarious scalawag that got into all sorts of crazy antics. The concept of this strange, magical house was such fun. Mandrake was fascinating and I so wish we got to learn more about him, because he was epic. And even Bella Yaga had a lot more depth than meets the eye. I so wanted more of everyone, but pretty much the entire film was just of Earwig cleaning and learning magic spells. Again, so much wasted potential!

Overall, it’s a cutesy, fun little film that I think kids would enjoy, but the lost potential and unappealing art style knocked it down to one of my least favorites of the Ghibli collection.

With with that we come to the end of my (way too many) thoughts of the Studio Ghibli films! I had such fun revisiting them each and sharing about them. I hope you enjoyed this too!

And if you missed it, you can find part 1 of my reviews HERE!

Which ones of these have you seen? What are YOUR thoughts on these films? Or if you haven’t seen them, tell me if any of them pique your interest! I’m definitely curious!