The Definitive Ranking of Studio Ghibli Movies from Worst to Best
12. The Secret World of Arriety
I’ll admit that The Secret World of Arriety doesn’t seem like it has the most original plot of all the Studio Ghibli movies (it is adapted from The Borrowers by Mary Norton). However, Arriety has a lot of charm with its rural setting and scrappy heroine, Arriety. She’s a thumb tall human who “borrows” things from normal humans in order to survive. Of course, it’s taboo for these little guys to be seen by real humans. So, Arriety does the only reasonable thing and befriends one. She teaches him a big lesson by the end of the movie because that’s just how these things go.
11. Porco Rosso
There have been some pretty fanciful Studio Ghibli movies we’ve talked about so far, but Porco Rosso is when things start to get really weird. Ace pilot Marco Pagot is the scoundrel of the skies. He’s also under a weird curse that has turned him into an anthropomorphic pig, causing him to adopt the alias Porco Rosso. Pilot for hire and bounty hunter, Porco is “modern” swashbuckler who is absolutely clueless when it comes to the ladies (probably the source of curse). Porco Roso is a strange tale, but it’s one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies of all time.
10. The Wind Rises
Before he was an animator, Miyazaki used to be a manga artist. So, it makes sense that he’d want to adapt some of his past works for the big screen. The Wind Rises is a fictional biography of one of the greatest aeronautical engineers in Japan’s history, Jiro Horikoshi. His plane design was used heavily in World War II, which the film certainly doesn’t shy away from. It’s a film about a man’s passion and purpose and examines how that impacts his life from romance to ethical dilemmas. Kinda heavy stuff, but it’s still a wonderfully told story that’s definitely worth checking out.
9. Kiki’s Delivery Service
One of the more adorable Studio Ghibli movies is Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s a tale of a young witch named Kiki who sets out to make her way in the world. Not having many job opportunities at only 13, she sets up a delivery service using her broom to fly packages to their destinations. At her side is an adorable black cat named Jiji whom only Kiki can understand. Together the two manage to find solid success in the brutal delivery service racket. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a fun filled adventure about finding your confidence and discovering your true purpose.
8. Castle in the Sky
In 1986, Castle in the Sky became the first film animated by Studio Ghibli and to this day, it’s still one of the studio’s best. Two teens try to keep a magical crystal safe from soldiers that want to use it for evil. Fleeing from them, the two discover a legend of a magical floating city that they set out to find. It turns out that the castle in the sky really does exist, but now they have to protect it as well from those that want to abuse its powers. Castle in the Sky is a beloved animated film that helped shape modern steampunk, proving just how influential Miyazaki was even then.