Ghibli classics: five of Miyazaki's best-loved films
Studio Ghibli fans can visit a new theme park in Japan from November, immersing themselves in the fantastical worlds dreamed up by director Hayao Miyazaki and his colleagues.
Here are five of Miyazaki's most beloved films:
- 'Castle in the Sky' (1986) -The first animated feature from Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Miyazaki and fellow director Isao Takahata, remains one of its most popular.
Following two orphans in a quest to reach a mythical castle in the clouds, the adventure is laced with danger, with air pirates and the military on their tail, but it also serves as a deeper meditation on the influence of technology in our lives.
- 'My Neighbor Totoro' (1988) -Shades of "Alice in Wonderland" are found in this tale of two sisters who go to live with their father in the countryside and discover an enchanting world of strange happenings and oddball creatures, including the lovable woodland spirit Totoro.
An instant classic, delighting audiences in Japan and abroad, Totoro has since become the Studio Ghibli mascot.
- 'Princess Mononoke' (1997) -In this film, a box-office smash in Japan, Miyazaki explored the destruction of nature through industrialization.
The tale of a young prince and a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest where fearsome clashes play out between gods and humans boosted Miyazaki's global profile thanks to a distribution deal with Disney.
- 'Spirited Away' (2001) -Scooping the 2003 Oscar for best animated feature, "Spirited Away" follows a 10-year-old girl, Chihiro, whose family moves to the suburbs.
She accidentally wanders into a world of spirits and finds her parents turned into pigs -- forcing the young heroine to combat the spirit world with a courage she never knew she possessed.
"I wanted to make a movie especially for the daughters of my friends," Miyazaki once said.
- 'Howl's Moving Castle' (2004) -The young protagonist of this film, which brought Miyazaki a second Oscar nomination -- he later earned a third in 2014 with "The Wind Rises" -- is transformed into an old lady under a witch's spell.
A less-than-majestic wizard and his troupe living in a walking castle are her only hope for breaking the spell, but she does not give up, in an enchanting defense of world peace.
Source: Associated Press
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