For me it would be Princess Mononoke, which is also one of my favorite films, period. I really appreciate the maturity and nuance it brings to it’s environmental themes, which have been done in many other films, but not as well.
Porco every time for me, feels like a mini holiday every time I watch it, but Totoro would be a close second.
Very hard to pick one but The Wind Rises has a special place in my heart (tbf most Ghibli movies do). First of all, I watched it when I was very young and forgot about it so it was like rediscovering something I’ve almost forgotten. Second, I’m in and engineering program and know a bit about planes and such so I could relate to the MC. Third, I love the more adult feel of it and the Shakespearian romance. Lastly, it does all the usual Ghibli stuff great like animation, ost and wholesomeness.
The Wind Rises is so beautiful, and so sad. It’s like the essence of bittersweetness in movie form.
Princess Mononoke is my favorite for sure. I love the character design, the setting, the environmental storytelling. And wulfy
Besides that though…I really really liked Spirited Away. So rich and nuanced. I liked the twists and turns the film took
I absolutely love Mononoke. I just rewatched it a few days ago and it really impressed me again. It’s one of the most soft-spoken movies I’ve ever seen, and the story is top-tier. Unlike some of Ghibli’s other movies, it’s a movie that’s actually about humans – not fantastical human-shaped characters, but the real nature of human beings and their place in a dangerous primordial world full of other thinking beasts and gods.
Princess Mononoke is a beautiful film. It’s one of the Ghibli films that’s transcended being dismissed by friends and family that don’t like animated media, let alone anime. Good choice!
Mine is Porco Rosso. The setting and characters (like all Ghibli movies lol) make me feel so comfortable. It’s fun and exciting, with a lot of small, genuine moments. Plus, the airplanes and idea of sky pirates is rad.
There’s a game being worked on called The Brew Barons that’s pretty much “Porco Rosso: The Game”, and I’m friggin stoked for it.
Spirited away, just because I saw it as a child and it got me hooked on Miyasaki for life. It remains one of the most fun ones for me. It has the right balance between reality and fantasy, between fun and action/danger.
It also has that feeling of looking at a strange world as an outsider that I love, which is the reason I liked the first harry potter film/book for example. The wonder of a new, strange world with new rules that we do not comprehend.
Not my favorite, but no one mentioned howls moving castle.
not exactly ghibli but i love nausicaä of the valley of the wind. one of my favorite movies in general. it has my favorite take on the environmentalist thread that so many miyazaki movies have, and the world building is a favorite of mine in anime, with so much more to offer in the manga. not to mention out of all the miyazaki flying contraptions, nausicaä’s glider is definitely the coolest.
For me it is Spirited Away, followed closely by Princess Mononoke. I watched the latter first and absolutely loved it, but Spirited Away has a little bit more of surreal feeling that made me absolutely love it even more.
Both of them are incredible.
I come in here planning to upvote every Nausicaa post and then just end upvoting everything because I keep going “damn that one is so good too!”
Kiki’s delivery service because I like the atmosphere and natural aesthetic.
Kiki is the probably the best children’s movie I’ve ever seen. Not saying it’s not suitable for adults but it’s one that I can imagine watching with my kids over and over again.
I watch Miyazaki’s movies every now and again, and the one that I probably have seen the most is Castle in the Sky. I don’t know why, exactly. Close contenders with that is Howl’s Moving Castle and Porco Rosso.
Princess Mononoke is my history teacher’s favorite too x)
Mine is Spirited Away. It was the first one of Ghibli’s production I saw and it really took me to another worldPrincess Mononoke.
It’s meaningful interesting character design and cool world environment sucks me into the story and immerses me in a way that most movies can’t
the cell shading also helps keep the art+animations look great even after decades have passed!
Howls moving castle 🏰 Was the first Ghibli movie I watched, and love every bit about it. Just recently found out that it’s based on a trilogy of books. So just reading the first book now. Really curious to how much further the books went compared to the movie.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky for me. The scale of the story is so grandiose, much more than later Ghibli films. It breaks some of the character structures that become very common. The soundtrack is just incredible, as it shifts away from the more 80’s synth heavy Nausicaa score. Also, it’s the first film under the studio! The first Studio Ghibli film.