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Sam (228 KP) rated My Neighbor Totoro (1988) in Movies
Aug 30, 2019 (Updated Aug 30, 2019)
Loveable (2 more)
Whimsical
Reminiscent of Childhood
Not My Favorite
This is an adorable tale about two young sisters and their father moving into a new home. This place is a bit of a fixer upper but the whimsical and magical little house makes the whole place seem alive. The whole film is very memorable of a childhood filled with adventures through the woods and dreams of meeting strange new creatures. Although not one of my favorites of the Studio Ghibli films it still holds it own within the collection.
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Spirited Away (2001) in Movies
Aug 20, 2020
Studio Ghibli remains the most important studio in the history of anime. Spirited Away is one of, if not, my favorite anime of all time.
What sets it apart is the execution of the story telling. Two thirds of the movie takes place during mundane tasks like eating and cleaning. Something so simple is surprisingly remarkably refreshing.
I don't want to go into the meanings that can be interpreted within the film. I don't want to spoil anything to prevent anyone from drawing their own conclusions, but please see this movie. You will wonder why it took so long to do so.
What sets it apart is the execution of the story telling. Two thirds of the movie takes place during mundane tasks like eating and cleaning. Something so simple is surprisingly remarkably refreshing.
I don't want to go into the meanings that can be interpreted within the film. I don't want to spoil anything to prevent anyone from drawing their own conclusions, but please see this movie. You will wonder why it took so long to do so.
Bostonian916 (449 KP) rated Your Name (2016) in Movies
Aug 20, 2020
Not that I have seen every anime ever made, but from what I have seen this is the most important anime not produced by Ghibli.
Exceptional art leads the way with a hard hitting story that hits on all cylinders every step of the way. I'm very excited to have recently learned that this studio just released a VOD film that I hope to catch very soon. I've heard it is equally good, which says a lot.
While this movie is safe to watch with your young ones, they will likely not be able to take away from it the many meanings that are included.
Exceptional art leads the way with a hard hitting story that hits on all cylinders every step of the way. I'm very excited to have recently learned that this studio just released a VOD film that I hope to catch very soon. I've heard it is equally good, which says a lot.
While this movie is safe to watch with your young ones, they will likely not be able to take away from it the many meanings that are included.
Andrew Koltuniuk (747 KP) rated Spirited Away (2001) in Movies
May 13, 2020
Wow. I think this may be one of my favorite animated movies of all time. This is the third studio Ghibli film that I've watched and I can easily say that this is my favorite. The other two are amazing as well, but this film takes the cake for me. There are so many good things to say about this film! I love the character of Chihiro and I think she is one of my favorite protagonists of all time. She goes from becoming a passive character to becoming an active character. But I'm also a sucker for happy endings and this film has a wonderful one. So good!
Jacob Reese (14 KP) rated Spirited Away (2001) in Movies
Jul 1, 2020
Beautiful Lesson for Everyone
Another fantastic Ghibli film. This film is a great show of the possibilities of animation. Animation is not just something for kids. It can be an exquisite art form made for the enjoyment of people of all ages. Chihiro is a bright young child that is full of love and willing to do anything to be helpful to everyone. It doesn't matter what anyone does to her. She is focused on making the world a better place by showing love to everyone. That is a lesson that anyone can learn from to become a better person. Instead of focusing on yourself loving others will set you free and improve the life of everyone around you.
Sam (228 KP) rated Spirited Away (2001) in Movies
Aug 15, 2019 (Updated Aug 17, 2019)
Beautiful Imagery (2 more)
Fascinating Side Characters
Well Developed Plot
An Original Everyone Needs to See
I will forever hold to the simple gorgeousness of Studio Ghibli films. This one is no exception. Probably one of their most well known films I believe everyone needs to see this film at least once. Although I will admit that this is one of my least favorite main characters. The story follows a young girl as she navigates the world of the spirits, crying throughout the majority of the film as she involves herself in business she doesn't understand, causing problems at every turn. The characters that surround her are gorgeously portrayed however and well developed considering just how many characters populate this film. Why they all seem to love the main character however is a question I cannot answer.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Red Turtle (2016) in Movies
Jun 16, 2019 (Updated Jun 16, 2019)
Animated Belgo-Japanese allegorical fantasy is nice to look at and relaxing to watch. A man is washed up on a desert island after a storm, finds his attempts to leave are frustrated by a large crimson chelonian; after an attempt to kill the creature, he resolves to make friends, successfully bringing the turtle out of her shell (thanks, I'm here all week) - the two of them fall in love and have a family together.
As you can see, not short on the traditional 'WTF?!?!?' element of Studio Ghibli films, but it also possesses the typical virtues of being a really, really beautiful and well-told story. Maybe a touch under-powered story-wise, and it doesn't feel rushed even at only about 80 minutes long, but a finely-crafted and very pleasant film. The romance that HP Lovecraft never got around to writing.
As you can see, not short on the traditional 'WTF?!?!?' element of Studio Ghibli films, but it also possesses the typical virtues of being a really, really beautiful and well-told story. Maybe a touch under-powered story-wise, and it doesn't feel rushed even at only about 80 minutes long, but a finely-crafted and very pleasant film. The romance that HP Lovecraft never got around to writing.
Leah Rothwell (170 KP) rated My Neighbor Totoro (1988) in Movies
Sep 24, 2018
Beautiful and my favourite film
I was so young when I first watched this film and I can honestly say that I have never watched anything more beautiful and heartwarming.
This is a movie that shows love, friendship, loss and hardships. It’s so beautifully drawn you feel such a connection that it’s as if the characters leap off the screen and are sat there with you. Watch out for little Easter eggs that hint at their other creations and it will make the experience even more enjoyable. It’s hard to spot them all but it’s a fun game once you’ve watched it a few times.
If you haven’t watched this film yet I urge you to watch it, but be prepared to fall in love and never be able to forget this film.
Just remember once you’ve watched this, watch all the other studio Ghibli films as you can’t stop at this one.
This is a movie that shows love, friendship, loss and hardships. It’s so beautifully drawn you feel such a connection that it’s as if the characters leap off the screen and are sat there with you. Watch out for little Easter eggs that hint at their other creations and it will make the experience even more enjoyable. It’s hard to spot them all but it’s a fun game once you’ve watched it a few times.
If you haven’t watched this film yet I urge you to watch it, but be prepared to fall in love and never be able to forget this film.
Just remember once you’ve watched this, watch all the other studio Ghibli films as you can’t stop at this one.
AT (1676 KP) rated Howl's Moving Castle in Books
Mar 26, 2020 (Updated Mar 26, 2020)
This book has been on my to-read list for a long time. I love the Studio Ghibli movie version, but I had heard that the book was different. It's definitely worth reading if you liked Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer! The story was fairly similar in the beginning to the movie, but then it definitely changed toward the last 3/4 of the book. I really enjoyed the story, all the way through. I think it's difficult to write a story based on fantasy and have it make sense. To write one for a younger audience, have it make sense, AND have the characters stay interesting, that's even more improbable. Diana Wynne Jones did a marvelous job at creating a fantasy world that a reader of any age could step into without feeling lost or confused! I look forward to reading the other two books in the series, that I was unaware of until I finally read this one.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Red Turtle (2016) in Movies
Mar 19, 2018
Mesmerisingly Beautiful
I'd not heard a great deal about this Studio Ghibli movie, other than some fairly positive buzz online, so when it hit Amazon Prime at Christmas last year, I quickly added it to my watch list. It's taken all this time, until a cold and wintry Sunday afternoon in March, for me to finally sit down and watch it.
A man is washed up on a deserted island and after exploring his surroundings, sets about trying to escape. He builds a number of rafts from the trees but each time his escape is thwarted by an unknown force breaking his raft apart from beneath. On the third time this happens, the man discovers the cause of the destruction to be a large red turtle and when he later sees the turtle shuffling up the beach, he seeks revenge, overturning it and leaving it to suffer in the heat of the sun as it fails to correct itself.
Eventually the man feels remorse, but it appears to be too late...
Not a single word is spoken throughout the whole movie (other than the occasional 'Hey!'). It's a simple, beautiful tale that drew me in and left me feeling totally mesmerised and emotional with it's profound ideas and messages. Simply wonderful.
A man is washed up on a deserted island and after exploring his surroundings, sets about trying to escape. He builds a number of rafts from the trees but each time his escape is thwarted by an unknown force breaking his raft apart from beneath. On the third time this happens, the man discovers the cause of the destruction to be a large red turtle and when he later sees the turtle shuffling up the beach, he seeks revenge, overturning it and leaving it to suffer in the heat of the sun as it fails to correct itself.
Eventually the man feels remorse, but it appears to be too late...
Not a single word is spoken throughout the whole movie (other than the occasional 'Hey!'). It's a simple, beautiful tale that drew me in and left me feeling totally mesmerised and emotional with it's profound ideas and messages. Simply wonderful.