When it comes to animation films, Studio Ghibli is one of the most exciting studios around and have produced some truly wonderful films and unforgettable characters.

When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There

It is always exciting when a Studio Ghibli movie is on the horizon and When Marnie Was There is set to light up the big screen this weekend as Hiromasa Yonebayashi - who was behind Arrietty - returns to the director's chair.

When Marnie Was There is set to be one of the must-see animation films of the summer and I cannot wait to see what Studio Ghibli deliver with this latest film.

To celebrate the release of When Marnie Was There, we look back at the last twenty years and pick out some of Studio Ghibli's finest films.

- Princess Mononoke (1997)

It was 1997 when Princess Mononoke was released for the first time - it was dubbed and released in the U.S. and the UK a few years later - and remains a real gem in the Studio Ghibli crown.

The movie saw Hayao Miyazaki - who brought a whole host of Studio Ghibli movies to the big screen - back in the director's chair for the first time since Porco Rosso in 1992. As well as being in the director's chair, Miyazaki penned the film's screenplay.

On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony.

Princess Mononoke is one of the most perfect animation movies that you will ever see: not only is it beautiful to look at, but it also carries an important and powerful message. The movie one again contains a familiar theme of war but this time between the human race and the animals that are tired of the human's domination and destruction of the planet.

And while these are very topical issues, Miyazaki produces these ideas in such a dazzling way as he mixes familiar surroundings of the forest with mythical and wonderful creatures.

From start to finish, Princess Mononoke is just a stunning movie as Miyazaki brings the forest and everything that lives there to life - the forest really does become a major character in its own right.

The director has created a truly stunning world that is rich and packed with imagination. At the same time, he never loses sight of the film's central message of man's destruction of the planet. This is an ambitious movie, but this director really does pull it off in style.

The movie was met with acclaim upon release and went on to become the highest-grossing Japanese film of 1997. It remains one of Studio Ghibli's best movies.

Princess Mononoke

- Spirited Away (2001)

Studio Ghibli has been producing wonderful animation films since the mid-eighties, but it was Spirited Away at the beginning of the noughties that really introduced mainstream Western film audiences to these great movies.

It was another movie gem from Miyazaki - who was once again on directing and writing duties - and this really is up there as some of the best film work of his career.

Spirited Away follows a ten-year-old girl who must save her parents when they are put under a spell. She is plunged into a world of witches and monsters and must battle hard to survive.

Even into the noughties, Studio Ghibli has not bowed to CGI animation pressure and continue to deliver traditionally handcrafted movies - they really are a breath of fresh air.

There is just a magical feel to this film, as it bursts with life and colour. The movie is bustling with larger than life characters that quite literally leap off the screen in every scene.

There's just some so enchanting about this movie and it will keep you transfixed from the opening scene to the closing credits - you really will want to go on the adventure all over again.

I have always loved the fact that Studio Ghibli movies feature such strong female characters and Chihiro continues that fine tradition. This is a coming of age story and Chihiro is a young girl who has to grow up fast and prove that she can look after herself and stand up for herself.

Spirited Away was a massive hit upon released and went on to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar - the first Studio Ghibli movie to triumph at the Academy Awards.

Spirited Away is widely regarded as one of the best animation movies of all time and is the highest-grossing film in Japanese cinema history. If you are a stranger to Studio Ghibli films, Spirited Away is the perfect place to start.

Spirited Away

- Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl's Moving Castle is my favourite Studio Ghibli movie and it is hard to believe that this fantastic film is already over a decade old - yes, it was 2004 when it was released for the first time.

Miyazaki has been the studio's driving directorial force and he was at the helm once again as he adapted Diana Wynne Jones' novel of the same name into a screenplay.

Howl's Movie Castle follows Sophie, an unconfident young woman, who is turned into an old woman by a witch after being befriended by wizard Howl. Taking shelter in Howl's travelling home, Sophie sets out to find a way to break the spell... making friends and falling in love along the way.

The animation - especially the moving castle itself - is truly captivating as Miyazaki takes the audience on a real adventure and to many different places and landscapes. There's something incredibly magical about the worlds that he creates that you cannot help but get swept up in it all.

Sophie is another wonderfully strong female character - she is a young woman who is determined to star on her own two feet. And when everything around her starts to fall apart, she is the one who fights to keep her new - and slightly unconventional - family together. It is her strength and bravery that really sees them through. It is great to see Sophie as more than just a damsel in distress. Of course, she needs Howl's help to break the spell but he needs her as much as she needs him.

Howl's Moving Castle is just a true joy of a film and is one that I have enjoyed again and again over the years - the magic of this film has never diminished for me and it remains a true animation triumph.

The movie would be nominated for the Best Animated Oscar but lost out to Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Howl's Moving Castle

- The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2015)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is the most recent Studio Ghibli film to be released - it lit up screens last March and was another triumph.

This was the first Studio Ghibli film for director Isao Takahata since My Neighbours the Yamadas and it was great to see him back at the helm. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was based on the folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Takahata teamed up with Riko Sakaguchi to pen the screenplay.

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her - but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was the most beautiful animation film to be released last year and the pastel and watercolour style of animation was something unique.

The images just dance across the images and draw you into a powerful and emotional story. The animation style really does seem to go hand in hand with the story that the director is telling.

There is a sadness to the central character as she is shackled by the constraints of society and not free to live her life as she chooses. This is a movie about the sadness and joy of human life - and the ending really will break your heart.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was met with universal acclaim upon release and was one of the best-animated feature films of 2016.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar but would go on to lose out to Disney's Big Hero 6.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Other Studio Ghibli films from the last twenty years that are not to be missed include The Cat Returns, Ponyo, Arrietty, and The Wind Rises.

When Marnie Was There is released 10th June.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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