Kiki (Kirsten Dunst) is a 13-year-old witch in training. An old tradition states that at 13, a young witch can leave home and study to become a full time witch. So, even though her parents are not overjoyed, she decides to leave. She takes her broomstick and her cat Jiji (Phil Hartman) and sets off for Koriko, a big port city. Once there, she finds she does not have any witch … [Read more...]
Review: My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Miyazaki has done some fine work in his time. Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo are widely known as his best films. My Neighbour Totoro is also pretty highly rated. Praised by anime fans and film critics alike, I was expecting a new Nausicaa. What I got was a similar experience to Laputa. It is a better film than that, and it certainly is good, … [Read more...]
Review: Laputa: Castle In The Sky (1986)
Laputa: Castle In The Sky is Hayao Miyazaki's third feature film. At the time, it was also his best received. It got wide recognition for it's great storytelling, stunning animation, fantastic script, and (as with Nausicaa) a message that didn't shove itself down people's throats. I watched the film hoping for a masterpiece. Of course, hype can kill a film. I don't know whether … [Read more...]
Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
After The Castle of Cagliostro, Hayao Miyazaki made Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Although this is generally considered a Studio Ghibli film, it is actually not. Studio Ghibli was not founded until a year later. However, it is still included in the ˜Studio Ghibli Collection' DVD series. Miyazaki was approached to allow an adaptation of the manga he wrote, and he initially … [Read more...]
Review: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
In 1979, Hayao Miyazaki made his first movie, The Castle of Cagliostro. He had previously co-directed 6 episodes of the anime series based around the character Lupin III, a world renowned master thief. The Castle of Cagliostro is the most well-known Lupin III film (and there are many), but the least well-known Miyazaki film. It was probably forgotten due to Miyazaki always … [Read more...]
Review: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
Most people are familiar with Hayoa Miyazaki's work, specifically Spirited Away, which became the first foreign film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and went on to become the most successful Japanese film of all time. The film propelled Studio Ghibli into fame, and other films they did, such as Princess Mononoke, The Cat Returns, Whisper of the Heart, and My … [Read more...]