Some films entertain you for a couple of hours and then you forget them. Other films don't let go. They keep their hold on you, play on your mind, haunt your imagination long after the final scene has finished. Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away is one of those that keep its grip on you... even years later. … [Read more...]
Ponyo (2008) review by The Documentalist
Studio Ghibli has been producing hit animations for nearly 30 years and through Hayao Miyazaki has created some modern classics, most notably 2001's Spirited Away. While Miyazaki is at the heart of much of its output, he only occasionally turns his hand to feature length animations such as 2008s Ponyo. … [Read more...]
Review: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
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 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...]