Ranking Studio Ghibli movies is basically a fool's errand. Seriously. You’re trying to quantify magic, which is like trying to measure how much a childhood memory weighs or why certain smells make you want to cry.
Everyone has that one Ghibli film. The one that hit them at the right age. Maybe you saw Kiki’s Delivery Service when you were thirteen and feeling lost, so now that movie is your entire personality. Or maybe you think Grave of the Fireflies is the greatest achievement in animation history but you refuse to ever watch it again because it destroyed your soul. Both are valid.
But when we talk about ranking Studio Ghibli movies from a critical perspective, we have to look past the nostalgia. We have to look at the craft, the legacy of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and how these films actually hold up when you strip away the Lo-Fi hip-hop beats they've inspired.
The Heavy Hitters That Everyone Fights Over
Most people start the conversation with Spirited Away. It won the Oscar. It broke box office records. It’s the safe bet. But is it the best?
Honestly, Spirited Away is a masterpiece of world-building, but some critics—and hardcore fans—argue that Princess Mononoke is actually the studio's peak. Mononoke isn't a "kids' movie" by any stretch of the imagination. It’s violent. It’s gray. There are no easy villains. Lady Eboshi is trying to provide for her people and protect the marginalized, even if it means killing a god. That kind of narrative complexity is why Ghibli stays relevant while other animation studios' older catalogs start to feel dated.
Then you've got My Neighbor Totoro. It’s the face of the company.
It has almost no plot. Think about that for a second. Two girls move to a house, meet some spirits, one gets lost, they find her. That’s it. Yet, it captures the specific, vibrating anxiety of being a child with a sick parent better than any high-stakes drama. It’s a vibes-based movie before "vibes" was a thing.
👉 See also: The Real Story Behind I Can Do Bad All by Myself: From Stage to Screen
Why Isao Takahata Often Gets Left Out
When ranking Studio Ghibli movies, people focus on Miyazaki because he's the face of the brand. But Isao Takahata was the intellectual backbone of the studio.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is arguably the most beautiful film they’ve ever produced. It uses a watercolor sketch style that looks like it’s breathing. It’s a tragic, soaring feminist critique of societal expectations. If you put it at the bottom of your list just because it doesn't have a Catbus, you're doing it wrong.
And we have to talk about Only Yesterday. It’s a film about a woman in her late twenties taking a vacation to the countryside while remembering her fifth-grade self. It’s quiet. It’s adult. It’s a masterpiece of "pre-modern" nostalgia. It usually ranks lower on mainstream lists because it lacks the "fantasy" element, but for anyone who has ever wondered if their younger self would be disappointed in who they became, it hits like a freight train.
The "Middle Tier" That Deserves More Respect
There’s this weird phenomenon where movies like Howl’s Moving Castle or Castle in the Sky get categorized as "second tier" just because they aren't Spirited Away.
Howl’s Moving Castle is a mess. A beautiful, chaotic, confusing mess. Miyazaki famously started production without a finished script, and it shows. The plot falls apart in the final act. But the imagery? The character of Sophie? The anti-war message? It’s some of the most inspired work ever put to cel.
Castle in the Sky (Laputa) is the blueprint for modern adventure. Without this movie, we don’t have Final Fantasy. We don’t have Breath of the Wild. It’s pure, distilled steampunk joy.
✨ Don't miss: Love Island UK Who Is Still Together: The Reality of Romance After the Villa
Then there’s Porco Rosso.
It’s about a pig who flies planes.
On paper, it sounds ridiculous. In reality, it’s a deeply melancholic meditation on the survivors of World War I. "I'd rather be a pig than a fascist" is one of the hardest lines in cinema history. It’s Miyazaki’s most personal film, reflecting his own obsession with aviation and his disillusionment with humanity.
The Polarizing Entries: Earthsea and Beyond
Let’s be real: not every Ghibli movie is a home run.
Tales from Earthsea is widely considered the low point. Directed by Goro Miyazaki (Hayao’s son), it suffered from a strained production and the impossible weight of adapting Ursula K. Le Guin’s legendary books. Even Le Guin herself was disappointed, noting that while the visuals were "Ghibli-quality," the story had lost its soul.
But even a "bad" Ghibli movie is usually better than the best movie from a budget studio.
🔗 Read more: Gwendoline Butler Dead in a Row: Why This 1957 Mystery Still Packs a Punch
The Cat Returns is a weird one. It’s short. It’s goofy. It’s basically a spin-off of a side character from Whisper of the Heart. Does it rank high? Probably not. Is it a delightful fever dream? Absolutely.
The Problem With Objectivity
The biggest mistake people make when ranking Studio Ghibli movies is trying to be "objective."
You can’t.
Cinema is an emotional medium. If Ponyo makes you feel like a kid again, then for you, Ponyo is a top-five movie. If you find the environmentalism in Pom Poko to be too heavy-handed (or the shape-shifting raccoon anatomy too distracting), it’s going to sit at the bottom.
Experts like Susan Napier, who wrote Miyazakiworld, point out that these films function as a "liminal space." They exist between childhood and adulthood, between the magic of the past and the technology of the future. Where you fall on that spectrum determines your ranking.
Practical Steps for Your Next Ghibli Marathon
If you're looking to dive deeper or re-evaluate your own list, don't just watch the hits. Here is how to actually experience the breadth of what this studio offers:
- Watch by Director: Instead of just picking random titles, watch three Miyazaki films back-to-back, then three Takahata films. You’ll see the internal dialogue between the two founders. Takahata focuses on the grounded, the real, and the tragic. Miyazaki focuses on the flight, the wonder, and the redemptive power of love.
- Ignore the Dub vs. Sub Debate: People get elitist about this. Honestly? Ghibli dubs (especially the Disney-produced ones) are generally fantastic. Hearing Billy Crystal as Calcifer or Christian Bale as Howl adds a different layer of charm. Watch whichever version lets you focus on the art.
- Look for the "Ma": Miyazaki often talks about the concept of ma—the emptiness or the quiet moments between the action. Next time you're watching, pay attention to the scenes where "nothing happens." A character just staring at the rain. A train moving across the water. These are the moments that actually make these films rank higher than their competitors.
- Contextualize the History: Read up on the history of the Tokuma Shoten publishing house or the impact of the 1997 release of Princess Mononoke in the West. Understanding the struggle to keep hand-drawn animation alive in a CGI world makes the craft of The Red Turtle or The Boy and the Heron even more impressive.
The "correct" way to rank these movies is to accept that the list will change as you get older. The movie you hated at ten might be the one you cherish at thirty. That’s the real Ghibli magic. It grows with you. It doesn't stay static.
If you really want to understand the ranking, start with the films that feel the most "uncomfortable" to you. Usually, those are the ones hiding the deepest truths. Stop looking for the most "fun" movie and start looking for the one that makes you feel the most human. That's the one that belongs at number one.