Studio Ghibli has been gently revolutionizing the animation world since 1986, combining an endearing and empathetic worldview with rousing adventure. That was the year of their debut feature, Castle in the Sky, which heralded the superstar team of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. (Nausicaa, which we’re including on this list, was made before Ghibli’s founding but has been culturally adopted as part of of filmography.) Miyazaki has been Studio Ghibli’s global champion, and rounded out the rest of the ’80s with My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. And it wasn’t long before producer Takahata wore the director’s hat, crafting the somber Grave of the Fireflies, which played as a double feature with Totoro in Japan.
(See also: The 100 best anime movies of all time.)
Entering the ’90s, the two Ghibli founders went toe-to-toe with Porco Rosso and Only Yesterday. The latter was by Takahata, establishing him as a more dramatically grounded artist as compared to Miyazaki’s literal flights of fancy. But it is Miyazaki’s fantastical stories that have proven popular internationally, from the ecological war epic Princess Mononoke to the witchcraft and wizardry of Howl’s Moving Castle to the Oscar-winning masterpiece Spirited Away. The Tale of Princess Kaguya was Takahata’s final film before his death in 2018.
Other directors at Studio Ghibli include Miyazaki’s son Goro (Tales from Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill) and Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty, When Marnie Was There), who subsequently left to found Studio Ponoc after Ghibli went into hiatus in 2014 following Miyazaki’s retirement. This isn’t the first time he’s announced retirement (he did so after Ponyo, and after The Wind Rises), and he’s back at it again with The Boy and the Heron, an adaptation of the young-adult novel How Do You Live?. Now we rank all of Studio Ghibli’s movies by Tomatometer, Certified Fresh films first! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 103890%
Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.
#2
Adjusted Score: 104920%
Critics Consensus: Only Yesterday‘s long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio’s incredibly consistent commitment to quality.
#3
Adjusted Score: 101433%
Critics Consensus: Kiki’s Delivery Service is a heartwarming, gorgeously-rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world.
#4
Adjusted Score: 103532%
Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.
#5
Adjusted Score: 104085%
Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.
#6
Adjusted Score: 103797%
Critics Consensus: Soulfully exploring thought-provoking themes through a beautifully animated lens, The Boy and the Heron is another Miyazaki masterpiece.
#7
Adjusted Score: 99760%
Critics Consensus: Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli’s reputation.
#8
Adjusted Score: 101009%
Critics Consensus: With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, Princess Mononoke is a landmark in the world of animation.
#9
Adjusted Score: 97942%
Critics Consensus: My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.
#10
Adjusted Score: 96119%
Critics Consensus: When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn’t quite as magical as Studio Ghibli’s greatest works.
#11
Adjusted Score: 97800%
Critics Consensus: While not Miyazaki’s best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that’s a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.
#12
Adjusted Score: 96032%
Critics Consensus: The Wind Rises is a fittingly bittersweet swan song for director Hayao Miyazaki.
#13
Adjusted Score: 92891%
Critics Consensus: Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl’s Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.
#14
Adjusted Score: 89916%
Critics Consensus: Gentle and nostalgic, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli’s sweeter efforts — and if it doesn’t push the boundaries of the genre, it remains as engagingly lovely as Ghibli fans have come to expect.
#15
Adjusted Score: 98202%
Critics Consensus: With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli’s unique strengths.
#16
Adjusted Score: 97348%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#17
Adjusted Score: 95618%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 91172%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#19
Adjusted Score: 89925%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#20
Adjusted Score: 84784%
Critics Consensus: Sweetly charming and beautifully animated, The Cat Returns offers anime adventure suitable for the very young and young at heart.
#21
Adjusted Score: 86211%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 39655%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 38904%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 31172%
Critics Consensus: With a story as uninspired as its animation, Earwig and the Witch is a surprising — and near-total — misfire for Studio Ghibli.