Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

[Ruby]

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are bywords for each other, but their films don't overlap perfectly. I recently watched the first film he directed, The Castle of Cagliostro, which came out in 1979, before Studio Ghibli existed. On the other hand, he isn't the only person to have directed Ghibli films either. Grave of the Fireflies was the work of Isao Takahata, for example.

Any way I've now seen every Miyazaki film, but not every Ghibli film, so the poll lists Miyazaki films only. (There weren't enough slots for all the Ghibli films anyhow. In fact, I've had to exclude Cagliostro as well, because there still wasn't enough room.) But you can use this thread to discuss both Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. My considered opinion is that Spirited Away really is the best of them - the general public is right.

By the way, how do you pronounce Ghibli?

 

[IndigoClaudia]

By the way, how do you pronounce Ghibli?

I've always pronounced it like Jib-lee

 

[haneko]

Me and my friends pronounce it "Gibly", with a hard G, if that helps. I can't comment on how good the films are because I've never watched them. To be fair, I don't have much interest in watching them, either.

 

[IndigoClaudia]

I've seen one or too and keep meaning to see more but...

 

[Ruby]

One vote for Totoro and that's all, huh? This is a sorry showing for a Pokemon forum, guys. Half of Hoenn is Miyazaki pastiche.

Make some time to watch Spirited Away at least. It's on Netflix right now (at least where I live).

 

[haneko]

Half of Hoenn is Miyazaki pastiche.

Come on, explain this one for us non-Ghibli watchers. :P Was Hoenn directly inspired by Ghibli films and settings?

 

[Ruby]

Come on, explain this one for us non-Ghibli watchers. :P Was Hoenn directly inspired by Ghibli films and settings?

I have no evidence whatsoever. But it is well known that Miyazaki loves to place his characters in a very particular kind of idyllic landscape, and he has an affection for islands. To me many areas in Hoenn and in the other regions seem clearly influenced by an aesthetic that he either invented or popularized. Keep in mind that in Japan not only have many of his films been successful, but several actually topped the box office the year they were released.

 

[I liek Squirtles]

The only Miyazaki movie I saw was Ponyo, which I associate with uv because for the longest time her avi was little gremlin Ponyo

 

[mewtini]

The only Miyazaki movie I saw was Ponyo, which I associate with uv because for the longest time her avi was little gremlin Ponyo

oh my god. lol. i have the same association still + ponyo was my first miyazaki film

 

[IndigoClaudia]

i watched half of my neighbor totoro and all of some other one that i can't remember the name of.

EDIT: i need to see more, any reccomendations?

 

[Ruby]

i watched half of my neighbor totoro and all of some other one that i can't remember the name of.

EDIT: i need to see more, any reccomendations?

Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are probably the essential two.

 

[IndigoClaudia]

oh i do REAALLY like the music from princess mononoke and almost watched it once but never did, i forget why...

Spoiler: My List

-Spirited Away
-Princess Mononoke

 

[Ys_]

Spirited Away is beautiful and the music is very pretty. That was the first Ghibli movie I watched. The second one was Howl's Moving Castle. It's nice too, but I always feel kind of empty at the end, like something is missing. I've watched Princess Mononoke twice but never got it. Though maybe I never watched it to the end.

 

[Ruby]

Spirited Away is beautiful and the music is very pretty. That was the first Ghibli movie I watched. The second one was Howl's Moving Castle. It's nice too, but I always feel kind of empty at the end, like something is missing. I've watched Princess Mononoke twice but never got it. Though maybe I never watched it to the end.

Howl's Moving Castle is imaginative and entertaining enough but there are issues with the plot.

 

[Sandstone-Shadow]

Howl's Moving Castle is based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones! So if it helps to think of it as an adaptation haha. I feel like books-to-movies are always a little tricky.

Spirited Away is by far my favorite - it's a classic for good reason. Nausicaa is my next favorite and I wish that more of the comics were made into movies cause I want to see more of the story :O

 

[Ruby]

Nausicaa I've only ever watched once, and that was a while ago. My recollection is that it was fun at first, but seemed to go on too long. And the animation was a bit too 1980s for me - very gloomy at points. But as I say, this was a while ago.

I'd like to put in a good word for Porco Rosso here, which hasn't been mentioned. The first half or so may be my favourite Miyazki. After that it falls apart a bit, sad to say.

 

[Butterfree]

I've seen Ponyo, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky. My favorite of them is Castle in the Sky, followed by Princess Mononoke, then Spirited Away, then My Neighbor Totoro, then Ponyo?

I didn't like Ponyo much at all; it was cute and pretty but the weird five-year-old love story just really lost me, and if I recall correctly the pacing felt off and Ponyo was really obnoxious in a way I just found irritating to watch. Totoro was cute and it's been a while but I kind of felt like not much really happened. I didn't really get a lot out of Spirited Away either - I'm kind of curious why it's so popularly considered the best?

Princess Mononoke was really interesting and I loved that the humans weren't evil in it - overall felt complex and nuanced in a good way. But Castle in the Sky was the most personally appealing to me. Friends, stark aesthetics, actual plot, cute critters.

 

[Zori]

Studio Ghibli was my childhood
I have seen all the movies above
Although I don't really remember the plot of The Wind Rises

 

[Ys_]

I personally consider Spirited Away as the best partly becauseI watched it while I was still a child (it may have to do with a child's sense of wonder, maybe?) but also, the music is really nice and soothing, and the story is also well thought and relateable. Basically being about a girl's journey through the unknown and her growth in her quest to save her parents. The images themselves are colorful and the character dynamic is very interesting. To me, it's one of those movies that doesn't spell out everything for you and is more about feelings than necessarily having something happen at every second (like modern movies seem to do).

And about Howl's Moving Castle, I agree with Ruby that there are problems with the plot, though the general idea and the movie itself are entertaining and nice. Also iirc there was a book, right? Maybe I'll try to find it online and see how it is.

 

[Ruby]

I personally consider Spirited Away as the best partly becauseI watched it while I was still a child (it may have to do with a child's sense of wonder, maybe?) but also, the music is really nice and soothing, and the story is also well thought and relateable. Basically being about a girl's journey through the unknown and her growth in her quest to save her parents. The images themselves are colorful and the character dynamic is very interesting. To me, it's one of those movies that doesn't spell out everything for you and is more about feelings than necessarily having something happen at every second (like modern movies seem to do).

And about Howl's Moving Castle, I agree with Ruby that there are problems with the plot, though the general idea and the movie itself are entertaining and nice. Also iirc there was a book, right? Maybe I'll try to find it online and see how it is.

It's based on the book of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. I haven't read it, but apparently the film cuts a lot of material. That may be why the plot of the film sometimes seems a bit awkward.