Studio Ghibli

I remember as a teenager watching an episode of Siskel and Ebert where they were reviewing a Japanese cartoon movie called "Kiki's Delivery Service." They raved and raved about this movie, calling it one of the best movies of the year, and I was like, "anime? like Sailor Moon? I think I'll pass." Fast forward a few years later to college. Watching the academy awards, this pretty looking movie called, "Spirited Away" won best animated picture over Lilio and Stitch, which I loved, so I decided to rent it. It was amazing. Beautiful! Interesting! Funny! Exciting! Totally deserved an Oscar. So delighted by this film I looked to see if the studio had done any others, and I learned that Studio Ghibli had also made Kiki's Delivery Service as well as some others. Jeff and I quickly rented all the Studio Ghibli movies we could get our hands on. Each movie was wonderful. How foolish I was to dismiss them as weird anime. These movies remind me very much of the old classic Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. They have the stunning hand drawn animation, the symphonic scored music and clever plots of the older gems. They also have the voice over of famous celebrities like Kirsten Dunst, Cate Blanchet, Liam Neeson, Billy Crystal, Christian Bale, and many others. I post this now because we have just received our copy of the latest masterpiece Ponyo (B+). A dazzling new take on the Little Mermaid. Stop what you are doing and run to your Redbox now to get this movie. Max has already watched it twice in less then 24 hours. Even Mae is a fan. Others to check out:

(My personal grade)

Spirited Away (A)

A tale of a young girl who get stuck in a strange world where she must work hard to free her parents from a spell. This one is a bit more bizarre then the others, but just lovely.

Howl's Moving Castle (A+++)

This is my favorite, and one of my favorite movies of all time. It is the story of a young lady who must free herself from a spell that has aged her to an old woman.

My Neighbor Totoro (A)

The story of two sisters, (one named Mae) who move to a new house and discover fun new neighbors. This one is particularly good for younger children

Princess Mononoke (C)

This is probably my least favorite. It is defiantly for much older children/teenagers. It deals with the battle between Forest creatures and a mining company

Nausica (B)

Available at the Bella Vista Library. This one is good. For older children but not as violent as Mononoke. It is the story of a post apocalyptic society that must find a way to survive in a harsh environment. I like the heroine.

Castle in the Sky (B)

A young boy and girl must race against pirates and foreign agents to find a castle in the sky. Super cute.

Kiki's Delivery Service (B+)

The perfect antidote to too much Barbie movies. Kiki is a teenage witch who must set up in a new town to become her own person. She starts a delivery service with her broom stick and has fun adventures while discovering her own self confidence.

I really recommend you try these movies. The are really good family fun.