A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world.

[Source: GKIDS]

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Ainu tribe, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

Orphans Seita and Setsuko fight for survival in post-World War II Japan. But society is harsh, and they come to the somber conclusion that they can neither escape the hardships of war nor find enough food to survive. Named the Best Animated Feature at the 1994 Chicago International Children's Film Festival, this film proves that not all anime tales are pixie-dust fantasies or brutal sci-fi standoffs.

[Source: Netflix]

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

A lonely little boy named Sousuke lives with his mother by the sea, flashing messages across the water to his father's boat. One day, amid the detritus brought in with the tide, he stumbles upon a little goldfish. Delighted by this strange new friend, he takes her home and names her Ponyo. Sousuke comes to learn, however, that Ponyo is no ordinary fish. A visit from a strange man brings with it fantastical happenings that lead Sousuke and Ponyo on an enlightening adventure.

In Gake no Ue no Ponyo, magic and reality clash around Ponyo and Sousuke, testing their resolve. Despite the trials they face, Ponyo and Sousuke form a strong friendship. They meet many interesting characters, and learn just as many lessons from them.

The story takes place in a world where humanity once built great flying cities. A catastrophe later destroyed all of these majestic creations, forcing the human race to once again live on the ground. Despite these setbacks, humanity still has a passion for flight and explores the skies with planes and airships. A young girl named Sheeta is on one such airship, having been abducted by the government agent Muska. When the ship is attacked by the air pirate Captain Dola, Sheeta takes the opportunity to escape.

Saved by the grace of luck and magic, Sheeta is found by a young boy named Pazu. The two later discover that Sheeta's amulet is the key to finding Laputa—a legendary castle that is said to be the greatest of the flying cities. Together these new friends head out to find the castle and unravel its mysteries before the greedy and evil people of the world do.

[Source: MyAnimeList]

The world can be a very scary place when you’re small. For Arrietty, though, the only real fear in life is in missing out on a big adventure. 14-year-old Arrietty and her parents live in the small spaces of a human garden. They are what some might call “borrowers”; they take items from the human world to eke out a living amidst the shadows.

Their existence goes mostly undiscovered until the arrival of 12-year-old Shou. When Shou begins to noticesmall things going missing, he becomes suspicious. He soon meets Arrietty and strikes up a friendship that neither of them could have seen coming. However, this is a friendship fraught with danger due to the obvious risk of Arrietty and her family’s discovery, something that could send the borrowers right into the hands of those that would do them harm. In Karigurashi no Arrietty, Studio Ghibli presents audiences with a beautiful look at the human world... from a much smaller perspective.

Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Nearsighted and unable to be a pilot, he becomes one of the world’s most accomplished airplane designers, experiencing key historical events in an epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world.

[Source: GKIDS]

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley Of The Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaa, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Shizuku Tsukishima is a free-spirited and cheerful 14-year-old girl who is currently enjoying her summer vacation. She loves spending her free time at the local library where she notices that the books she reads are often checked out by a boy named Seiji Amasawa.

One day while riding the local train, Shizuku notices a strange cat sitting near her. Why would an ordinary cat ride a train? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it can also seriously harm a young girl. Shizuku decides to follow the mysterious cat to see where it goes, and soon stumbles upon an antique shop run by a violin maker named Nishi, the grandfather of the mystery boy who shares her taste in literature. Seiji and Shizuku soon become friends and while Seiji is sure of his dreams and how to follow them, Shizuku is still unsure of her own talents. However, when she sees a strange cat statuette, "The Baron," in the shop, it seems as if that statuette whispers something to her, tugging at her heart and giving her the inspiration she so desperately needed. One voice pushes Shizuku further than she could have ever imagined, changing her life forever.

Anna hasn't a friend in the world - until she meets Marnie among the sand dunes. But Marnie isn't all she seems...

An atmospheric ghost story with truths to tell about friendship, families and loneliness. Anna lives with foster parents, a misfit with no friends, always on the outside of things. Then she is sent to Norfolk to stay with old Mr and Mrs Pegg, where she runs wild on the sand dunes and around the water. There is a house, the Marsh House, which she feels she recognises - and she soon meets a strange little girl called Marnie, who becomes Anna's first ever friend. Then one day, Marnie vanishes.

A new family, the Lindsays, move into the Marsh House. Having learnt so much from Marnie about friendship, Anna makes firm friends with the Lindsays - and learns some strange truths about Marnie, who was not all she seemed...

[Source: HarperCollinsPublishers]

Haru Yoshioka is your ordinary high school girl who has trouble making decisions for herself. One day, she spots a strange cat crossing the road with a small present... and a truck headed straight for it! Haru doesn't even stop to think before jumping in front of the truck and getting them both to safety.

This one selfless act initiates a chain of events that sends Haru on an epic adventure. The cat she saved turns out to be no ordinary feline, but Lune, Prince of the Cats. In honor of her bravery and for saving his life, he offers to marry her. Haru mutters a reply which is taken to be a "yes," and for better or for worse, her fate is sealed.

Alongside her cat companions Muta and the Baron, she's aided from above by a raven named Toto, and must travel to the cat world in order to rectify this misunderstanding. Her journey is tougher than it seems: If she cannot escape from the claws of the King of the Cats and find her true self, she will be turned into a cat forever.

Haru may start off as an everyday girl, but after her descent into the world of cats, she returns a different beast entirely.

Porco Rosso is a veteran WWI fighter pilot turned bounty hunter, who has been transformed into an anthropomorphic pig through a rare curse. He was once known as Marco Pagot while still in his human form, but took up a new alias which suits his current image better, "Red Pig."

At the beginning of Kurenai no Buta, Porco is reunited with his long-time friend Gina at a hotel, and unexpectedly falls in love with her. Despite his strange form, Gina shows him all the affection that she can muster. But Porco has a love rival to deal with. An American ace fighter named Curtis is also after Gina's heart, and although she rejects his proposals, he is not about to let her go so easily. During his return flight to Milan, Curtis sneaks up behind Porco's plane and shoots him down. The plane is completely destroyed and Porco is proclaimed dead, but due to a stroke of luck, he barely managed to survive the crash, unbeknownst to others.

Porco must now continue his journey back by train, and suddenly discovers that there has been a warrant issued for his arrest in Italy. Not only does he need to find Gina, but he must also get his revenge and also deal with the oncoming war that threatens the whole of Europe.

Okina is a bamboo cutter in ancient rural Japan. One day in the forest, he finds a tiny baby in the folds of a bamboo shoot. He brings the creature home to his wife Ounaa and they decide to keep her and raise her as a princess. She is clearly not of this world. Kaguya grows at an unnatural rate, soon maturing into an uncommonly beautiful young woman. Since Okina has now also found a cache of gold and treasure in the forest, every suitor wants Kaguya. But this is not a fairy tale of courtship and marriage.

[Source: Toronto International Film Festival]

After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

[Source: GKIDS]

The story is set in 1963 in Yokohama. Kokuriko Manor sits on a hill overlooking the harbour. A 16 year-old girl, Umi, lives in that house. Every morning she raises a signal flag facing the sea. The flag means “I pray for safe voyages”. A 17 year-old boy, Shun, always sees this flag from the sea as he rides a tugboat to school. Gradually the pair are drawn to each other but they are faced with a sudden trial. Even so, they keep going without running from facing the hardships of reality.

Omoide Poroporo is the story of Taeko Okajima, a twenty-something woman currently working as an office lady for a large company in Tokyo. She decides to a take a break from her life in the big city, and takes a trip out to the countryside to visit her brother-in-law.

During her time there, she will have a completely different experience, becoming intimately familiar with the hard work of a farmer while spending time with friendly villagers and family members. This atmosphere will bring back nostalgic memories. She will begin to remember once more her life as a child: puppy love, the awkward stages of adolescence, and the challenges of dealing with boys and math class.

The time spent away from the everyday grind will make Taeko question the path she has chosen.

Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans. Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause. During his journey, he meets Prince Lebannen, a young distraught teenage boy. While Lebannen may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Tehanu. For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. He can use the boy's "fears" against the very one who would help him, Ged.

[Source: Anime News Network]

Ocean Waves is a high school love story set in Kochi, Japan. Morisaki Taku and Matsuno Yutaka are best friends when a girl from Tokyo named Muto Rikako transfers to their school. Excluding herself from group activities, she's eventually labeled a snob. Matsuno has a crush on Rikako, so it's no surprise that he gets a little jealous when Morisaki and Rikako start spending more time together. The rumors around school get worse, but Morisaki still insists there is nothing between him and Rikako.

[Source: Anime News Network]

Faced with the destruction of their habitat due to the growth of Tokyo, a group of tanuki try to defend their homes. They decide to use their transforming talents to try to hold back the new development. Two of them, especially skilled at transforming, are sent to Shikoku to enlist the help of three sages. Meanwhile, the rest of them do their best to disrupt the construction site, at first causing accidents, and then actually haunting the site. However, the humans are very persistent, and soon the tanuki are forced to use more and more extreme measures to save their home.

[Source: Anime News Network]

Join in the adventures of the quirky Yamada family—from the hilarious to the touching±brilliantly presented in a unique, visually striking comic strip style. Takashi Yamada and his wacky wife Matsuko, who has no talent for housework, navigate their way through the ups and downs of work, marriage and family life with a sharp-tongued grandmother who lives with them, a teenage son who wishes he had cooler parents, and a pesky daughter whose loud voice is unusual for someone so small. Even the family dog has issues!

[Source: Disney]

Growing up in an orphanage, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life will take a new turn when a strange family takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch.

[Source: GKIDS]

This is a short film about 14 minutes long, which was shown for a limited time only at the Ghibli Museum. It tells the story of Mei and her friend the kittenbus (the child of the original catbus from My Neighbor Totoro). Mei is just small enough to ride in the kittenbus, which is only big enough to stir up dust devils, rather than making whole fields of rice sway in its breeze. One night they have an adventure in which they fly into the forest with many other cat-based vehicles, including many buses and trains. There they meet Totoro and many similar spirits, all heading for a gigantic catliner. This liner cruises off into the sky and the kittenbus takes Mei home.

[Source: AniDB]

The story revolves around Ronia, the only daughter of Mattis, the chief of a tribe of bandits who live in a large castle in a forest. Ronia studies the ways of the mysterious creatures who live in the forest.

[Source: MyAnimeList]

In the future, mankind can no longer live on the ground due to intense radiation, both from the sun and from an abandoned nuclear plant. One day, a group of special police raided a religious cult compound, and after a fierce firefight two policemen found a winged mutant girl, with chains on her arms, barely alive. However, government scientists dressed in hazardous material suits immediately intervened and brought her back to a research facility. Realizing they were merely transferring her from one prison to another, those two policemen formulated a daring plan to set her free once and for all.

(Source: Anime News Network)

This is a music video created by Hayao Miyazaki for the pop music duo Chage & Aska (after whom the two police officers are modeled).

Much like looking through a window, Iblard Jikan explores the fantastic and beautiful world of Iblard by panning through art created by Naohisa Inoue. Iblard shows itself to be nothing short of amazing and will wash serenity over your mind.

[Source: Anime News Network]

The story concerns Goshu, a professional cellist. During rehearsals for a performance, he is scolded by the conductor because his playing is not good enough. His timing is off and he seems to have no "feel" for the music.

Goshu returns to his lonely cottage and starts practicing. Then a cat enters who tricks him into understanding the inner meaning of the music. The importance of practice is shown by a cuckoo, rhythm by a badger and tenderness by a mouse. In four days he learns the true meaning and feeling of music and develops into a great musician.

Laced with popular classical music this special combines fun and inspiration for all ages and audiences.

[Source: AnimeNfo]

Hayao Miyazaki's CG short produced for the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo.

Two Ghibli created shorts about the happenings in a fictional animation studio, presumably based to some extent on their own.

This pilot is remembered, really, for one notable reason: this is Miyazaki's first time as a solo director. He teamed up with Takahata for the later episodes of the 1971-72 Lupin III series, but Yuki's Sun marked his first time solely in the captain's seat.

Yuki's Sun was based upon a popular shoujo manga (girls' comic) by Tetsuya Chiba which was serialized in 1963. It involves a 10-year-old orphan girl who is adopted into a family. The storyline is somewhat complex, and seems to play out like grand melodrama. Chiba's stories were more sophisticated and grown-up than, say, Osamu Tezuka, who of course was the godfather of postwar Japanese manga.

[Source: TheGhibliBlog]

Four workers wait out the night around a campfire. Three of them are talking about different things when they start hearing strange noises. Their discussion wakes up a sleeping companion who promptly goes back to sleep only to start having dreams...

The short film's main character is a water spider who seems to have fallen in love with a water strider. Though she is scared of him at first, the water strider soon gets used to the presence of the spider.

[Source: Wikipedia]

This is a short film about 15 minutes long, which was shown for a limited time only at the Ghibli Museum. Koro is a puppy owned by a little girl in a small town. One day she leaves the front gate ajar when she goes to school. Koro slips out and wanders the streets of the town. He is picked up by a girl riding a bicycle, but slips away at the level train crossing. He meets a friendly old dog and his kindly owners, while his mistress and her father ride around town putting up "Lost" signs on the power poles. Koro eventually falls asleep under a delivery van, whose driver gives him a ride. When he gets near home, Koro smells the familiar neighborhood and leaps out of the truck and into the arms of his delighted mistress.

A young boy, tired of the city, escapes into the country. When trying to bring vegetables to the market to sell, his cart breaks down and he exchanges the vegetables for a mystical seed. Returning home he plants the seed in a normal pot- only to find it growing into a planet.

[Source: Anime News Network]

A short TV advertising spot featuring a small green pig with enormous eyes.

The title Nandarou implies that even its creators didn't really know what kind of creature it was supposed to be. However, NTV (Nihon TV) chose it as their station's mascot.

[Source: Anime News Network, Nausicaa.net]

In a lonesome water mill deep in a forest of briers and brambles lives a witch named Baba Yaga. There the witch keeps her servant the Egg Princess confined and forces the tiny egg-girl to do all the hard daily chores around the mill. One night, a large batch of kneaded dough resting in a trough suddenly comes to life from the witch's spell. Fearful of the witch, the Egg Princess and her new friend decide to run away. What will lay ahead for the two of them...?

[Source: Official Website]

A group of elementary school children play in their classroom, imagining that they are on a boat in the ocean. This fantasy becomes reality, and soon all the students find themselves stranded in the deep blue sea, looking for their own Moby Dick. Some of the kids want to harpoon the whale, others want to take its picture, and many of the kids are afraid and just want to return home. In the end, a gentle Totoro-esque whale shows up and plays with the children until their fantasy ends and they are again back in school.

[Source: Nausicaa.net]

A nameless heroine packs up her belongings into a large satchel and heads out of the city. Walking on foot across the countryside, she encounters a strange collection of creepy crawlies and ghostly spirits.

A short TV advertisement based on a children's book about a fox who gives a boy a seed which grows into a giant house.

Studio Ghibli animated Choujuu-Jinbutsu-Giga Emaki, the famous Japanese "Scrolls of Cartoons of Birds, Animals, and People" or "Choujuu Giga" for short, for a Marubeni Power commercial. The "Encounter" commercial promotes Plan G, a new electric power option that Marubeni Power is offering to homes as Japan deregulates its power industry. The plan derives its name from both "Ghibli" and "green." It promises to support the national trust for "Totoro's Forest," provide power for the Ghibli Museum, and promote conservation in general.

[Source: Anime News Network]

A DVD release with a collection of commercials and TV spots produced by Studio Ghibli or its subsidiary Studio Kajino between the years 2000 and 2005.

Nisshin Seifun Group commissioned 3 commercials for a mascot, Konyara, from Studio Ghibli to promote their company. The first commercial was for their 110th anniversary.

An animated music video made for Meiko Haigou by Studio Ghibli. Included on the Ghibli ga Ippai Special Short Short DVD.

A boy named Yuji and his friend Gick, a rabbit, find a walking stick. To decide which of them will keep it, they try a foot race, a long jump and sumo wrestling, but each ends up in a tie. Out of ideas, the children go to Gick's Granny for help. Granny tells the children to go treasure hunting. Who will be the winner?

[Source: Ghibli Museum]