Started in 1985, the world famous Studio Ghibli have produced some truly remarkable films under Hayao Miyazaki’s leadership: masterpieces of hand-drawn animation which, like Pixar’s offerings, speak just as much to an adult audience as they do to children.

There’s a sense of wonder embedded in the ink of every Ghibli animation, as well as humour, terror and an enchantment that recalls our forgotten childhood memories. Chances are you’ll have heard the following five films mentioned and enthused about countless times, but there’s a good reason for that: they’re as good as animation anywhere in the world gets.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is an not epic that’s for all, and is one your kids may get fidgety in front of, owing to its long run-time and an oppressive air of melancholy throughout. Stick with it though, as it’s marvellous. After killing a scary boar-demon threatening his village (a potential Emmerdale plot if we ever heard one), Ashitaka is cursed, and must journey westward for the cure.

There’s a fierce environmental and ecological message in the text of Mononoke, as the grim industrial fortress of Iron Town strip-mines its forest surroundings in order to make weapons of war, resulting in conflict with the wolves and boars.

It’s pretty violent in places, but a thing of beauty to look at, and features some breathtaking creature designs, specifically the giant Forest Spirit.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Ghibli’s adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ novel is a favourite for many and with good reason. Young hat maker Sophie is turned into a 90 year old woman by a witch’s curse, and seeks out wizard Howl and his estate agent-vexing perambulating property.

It’s a charming love story wrapped in a blanket of magic and colour, and has a steampunky edge to it. Some Ghibli fans criticise it for being too simplistic, but there’s nothing wrong with a simple story told well, and thanks to Miyazaki’s keen eye this is told very well indeed.

There’s also a top-notch voice cast on the English release, which includes Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal.

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

Another film that celebrates nature and the importance of a harmonious relationship with the natural world, My Neighbour Totoro does so in a much more child-friendly style than Princess Mononoke.

Two young girls befriend a forest spirit they name Totoro with whom they have adventures. And that’s pretty much all that happens, because Totoro is based more on situation than plot. That may sound like a criticism but it’s very much the opposite. It’s a nice change to see a children’s film based on exploration rather than confrontation.

A favourite among the staff at Pixar, keep your peepers peeled for Totoro in Toy Story 3. Though really they should have found a way to include the awesome Catbus (It’s a cat. Shaped like a bus. A Catbus!) as well.

Spirited Away (2001)

10-year-old Chihiro explores an abandoned amusement park and bathhouse with her parents (y’know, as you do), only to discover they’ve been turned into pigs, and that she’s been thrust into a strange world of spirits, dragons, and witches.

Like a Japanese Lewis Carroll story, there are strong echoes of Alice in Wonderland, as well as Grimm’s Fairytales, and an almost overwhelming outpouring of imagination on display; from Yubaba the giant-headed witch, to the six armed boiler geezer, to the creepy emotion-gobbling No-Face.

It’s a corny thing to say, but aww heck we’ll say it; you really will be spirited away by this one, such is the rich depth of fantasy on display.

Porco Rosso (1992)

Ghibli’s sixth release is a masterpiece. Set in the Adriatic in between the World Wars, Porco Rosso sees the cursed pig-faced pilot Marco ‘Porco’ Rossolini (voiced by Michael Keaton in the English dub) fighting pirates and duelling with rival airman and all-round nasty piece of work, Curtis.

An homage to the early days of flight and Hayao Miyazaki’s love of aviation, there’s serious investment in even the tiny details of the period. You’ll be transfixed by Porco Rosso from the second you start watching. It’s unfair on the whole film to single out any one moment but highlights include a thrilling dogfight and an eerie depiction of dead airmen flying their ghostly planes in an arc above the clouds.

If you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film then Porco Rosso is a great starting place. It’s not just one of the best Ghibli animations, it’s one of the world’s best animated films.

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