A charming coming-of-age story about independence.
The late 1980s saw the release of two more notable films:
The clearest evidence of this “B side” concept is the official by Joe Hisaishi, which collects alternate versions and instrumental tracks that were not originally featured on main soundtracks. In the same spirit, the films listed below are the cinematic B sides of the Ghibli collection.
| Year | Title | Director | Key Details | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1984 | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Hayao Miyazaki | Produced before Ghibli's official founding (1985), but considered the studio's spiritual starting point. | | 1986 | Castle in the Sky | Hayao Miyazaki | The first official Studio Ghibli production; a steampunk adventure about two orphans seeking a legendary floating city. | | 1988 | Grave of the Fireflies | Isao Takahata | A devastatingly poignant anti-war drama about two siblings struggling to survive during WWII. | | 1988 | My Neighbor Totoro | Hayao Miyazaki | Ghibli's most iconic and beloved mascot; a heartwarming story of childhood wonder and forest spirits. | | 1989 | Kiki's Delivery Service | Hayao Miyazaki | A gentle coming-of-age story about a young witch starting her own delivery service in a European-inspired coastal town. | | 1991 | Only Yesterday | Isao Takahata | A nostalgic, slice-of-life masterpiece that interweaves a woman's present with her childhood memories. | | 1992 | Porco Rosso | Hayao Miyazaki | A charming and witty adventure following a World War I flying ace who has been cursed with the face of a pig. | | 1993 | Ocean Waves | Tomomi Mochizuki | A made-for-TV romance about a high school love triangle; a rare glimpse of Ghibli without Miyazaki or Takahata. | | 1994 | Pom Poko | Isao Takahata | An environmental fable told from the perspective of shape-shifting raccoons fighting to save their forest home. | | 1995 | Whisper of the Heart | Yoshifumi Kondō | A touching tale of young love, artistic ambition, and the magic of finding one's voice. | | 1997 | Princess Mononoke | Hayao Miyazaki | An epic historical fantasy that pits nature gods and spirits against industrializing humans. | | 1999 | My Neighbors the Yamadas | Isao Takahata | A series of vignettes in a unique watercolor style, capturing the humorous chaos of everyday family life. | | 2001 | Spirited Away | Hayao Miyazaki | The only anime film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; a surreal and magnificent journey of a girl in a spirit world. | | 2002 | The Cat Returns | Hiroyuki Morita | A lighthearted spin-off of Whisper of the Heart about a girl who finds herself in a kingdom of cats. | | 2004 | Howl's Moving Castle | Hayao Miyazaki | A complex anti-war fable set in a magical, steampunk world featuring a young woman cursed into an old body. | | 2006 | Tales from Earthsea | Gorō Miyazaki | Hayao Miyazaki's son's directorial debut; a fantasy film based on Ursula K. Le Guin's famous novel series. | | 2008 | Ponyo | Hayao Miyazaki | A vibrant, imaginative retelling of The Little Mermaid for a new generation, brimming with joyful energy. | | 2010 | The Secret World of Arrietty | Hiromasa Yonebayashi | A beautifully crafted adaptation of The Borrowers , exploring the world from the perspective of tiny people. | | 2011 | From Up on Poppy Hill | Gorō Miyazaki | A nostalgic, post-war romance about students fighting to preserve their school's clubhouse. | | 2013 | The Wind Rises | Hayao Miyazaki | A fictionalized biography of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the Zero fighter plane; a meditation on art, dreams, and regret. | | 2013 | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Isao Takahata | A stunning, minimalist masterpiece using traditional Japanese brush-stroke animation to tell an ancient folk tale. | | 2014 | When Marnie Was There | Hiromasa Yonebayashi | A quiet, moving ghost story about a lonely girl who forms a deep friendship with a mysterious girl in a marsh-side mansion. | | 2016 | The Red Turtle | Michael Dudok de Wit | A co-production with several French studios; a dialogue-free poem of a man’s life on a deserted island. | | 2020 | Earwig and the Witch | Gorō Miyazaki | Ghibli's first full 3D CGI feature; a television film about a headstrong orphan girl in a foster home. | studio ghibli movie collection 1984 2020 b work
The collection is not flawless. Several films ( Tales from Earthsea , Ocean Waves [1993]) suffer from incoherent plotting. Miyazaki’s endings often rely on deus ex machina (the dissolving curse in Howl’s Moving Castle , the sudden realization in Spirited Away ). Additionally, the studio resisted diversity: until When Marnie Was There (2014), protagonists were overwhelmingly Japanese, and romantic subplots are often underdeveloped. Finally, the 2020 Earwig reveals a failure to modernize gracefully, suggesting Ghibli’s magic may be bound to the 2D medium.
Most "Complete Works" or "Movie Collections" for this era focus on the feature films directed by founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, along with key contributions from other studio directors . : 1984 ( ) to 2020 ( Earwig and the Witch
Miyazaki frequently employs ma —intentional moments of emptiness or quiet rest. Characters peel potatoes, watch rain fall, or sit on quiet trains, allowing audiences to breathe. Essential Masterpieces for Every Collector A charming coming-of-age story about independence
If you are searching for the , you are likely tired of hearing about Spirited Away (as perfect as it is). You want the films that require multiple viewings. Here are the true examples of Ghibli’s "B Work" (Brilliant Background films).
Tanuki (raccoon dogs) use their shape-shifting abilities to fight suburban development. Expect massive magical battles, scrotum-based levitation (yes, really), and Buddhist mourning rituals.
Critical reception and legacy
For over three decades, Studio Ghibli has been more than just an animation studio; it has been a "whirlwind" (the literal meaning of the Italian word
Ghibli’s controversial yet fascinating leap into 3D CGI animation. What to Look for in a Premium Box Set