Every Studio Ghibli Movie Ranked

Schaff ranks the Studio Ghibli movies which definitely didn't make him sob his eyes out!

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[phykoha]

One of the things I love about Ghibli films is that the children actually *ACT* like children. Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo— So many of their movies are made better because their characters act their age and like actual people.

[AlyAce]

To be fair about Howls moving castle the war isn’t just randomly called off, But the reason it’s called off isn’t like explained at length. It’s mentioned that the reason the kingdom with the sorcerer lady is at war with the other kingdom is because they believe they kidnapped their prince. But when it’s revealed that Turnip Head was the missing prince all along, the sorcerer lady calls off the war bc theres no reason for them to keep fighting.

[camilles]

Grave of fireflies is one of those movies you watch once and then never ever again unless you like your heart being torn from your chest.

[sussybaka]

I love how Earwig didn't even make it to the thumbnail 😭

[limbobilbo]

Schaff: puts howls moving castle 4th worst

Everyone else: so you have chosen death

[MrAJMproductions]

Sophie's age fluctuates as her love for herself and self confidence fluctuates. When she's older she feels bad about herself, when she's younger she believes in herself more.

[jeanfrazee]

Adding to the sea of Howl’s Moving Castle commentary: Howl is such an unpredictable and emotionally volatile character because he gave his heart up when he was 12. Emotionally, he never matured past that stage in his life, and his behavior reflects this. We don’t really know who he is because, without his heart and the ability to develop any kind of emotional maturity, he doesn’t know who he is either.

[boboffical]

2:08 Earwig and the Witch
6:04 Tales from Earthsea
8:05 Ocean Waves
10:09 Howl's Moving Castle
14:16 Pom Poko
16:14 The Wind Rises
17:23 My Neighbors, the Yamadas
19:39 The Secret World of Arrietry
20:58 The Cat Returns
22:20 Ponyo
23:20 Nausicaä: Valley of the Wind
24:41 Castle in the Sky
26:17 Porco Rosso
29:24 From Up on Poppy Hill
31:24 My Neighbor, Totoro
32:34 When Marnie Was There
33:46 Princess Mononoke
35:57 Grave of the Fireflies
36:35 Only Yesterday
38:18 Kiki's Delivery Service
39:44 Spirited Away
42:07 The Tale of Princess Kaguya
45:52 Whisper of the Heart

[lucasstokes]

People not understanding Sophie's curse is literally just... I don't understand, even as a little kid I got that the less self-conscious she was about how she looked the younger she looked. Howl literally says, "Sophie you're beautiful" and she becomes self-conscious again, believing he's just being nice and turns old again. The subtext is right there, it's right there!!!
The curse is a self reflection of how she feels about herself, not young and spritely nor beautiful like the other girls. By the end she's grown in confidence, been on an adventure and just doesn't dwell on her looks anymore.

[jesseburgener]

Schaff: Howl's Moving Castle is my fourth worst Ghibli film
The comments: *That was a mistake*

EDIT: Everybody thinks I was making a reference to Big Hero 6 for this. It was actually intended to be a reference to Thanos's line in Infinity War when Loki attempts to kill him. The BH6 line seemed too obvious 😆

[dylanmcartoonell]

I give James this: He admits problems he has with certain pieces of media are his own problems rather than objective problems with the work itself.

[coreDesignix]

I think Ashitaka taking the time to help the women of Iron Town with their work despite the curse on his arm heavily numbering his days is actually a really effective piece of characterization; it hammers home the compassion he has that allows him to connect with San and her family.

[nicolebee]

My personal favourite will always be Howl's moving castle. It's impossible to explain why but that movie just fills me with this intense comfy feeling

[gummykyunno.]

I didn’t think Howls Moving Castle was hard to understand, but it has a lot of metaphorical weight throughout its storyline. Sophie’s appearance changes because her self confidence fluctuates, and if you pay enough attention, her old lady appearance doesn’t look so old as the movie progresses to visualize her characters development. Howl is obsessed with his appearance, it’s what makes him come off as charming and “pleasant”, and his character learns to be happy as just himself. Madam Sullivan ends the war because the neighboring prince was found with love, she was just impressed that Howl learned to love himself and love another person genuinely. It’s definitely not the most straightforward story, but it’s a visual metaphor.

[caalieeg]

I will admit that it took me a couple of watches to really take in Howl's Moving Castle. I knew I liked the film but the message seemed hazy and unclear.
Sophie is a timid woman who sees herself as undesirable and ugly. When she is inflicted with the curse she ages drastically and then we see her slip out of that sometimes. Those moments she becomes younger or looks more like she should, are times in the film when she finds inner courage and strength. She sticks up forherself, she shows up for Howl, she fights for her new acquired family. At the end of the film she has grown so much that she has broken her own curse that was originally thought to only be removed by a wizard.
I love Sophie's character so much!
Edit:
I also had completely forgotten the next subversion of expectations they threw in at the end. When you think of Disney movies, most of the females/princesses are saved by a kiss from their love. In Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie is the one to save her family with a kiss! Turnip head transforms back to his Prince self, Calcifer gets to be free from Howl if he desires, The Witch of the Waste becomes a family member, and Howl comes back from a near deadly beast form. It's so easy to get caught up in the whimsical aspects of the film and watching what Howl does that one could completely miss Sophie's arch. Schaff should definitely view again!

[aeh]

Kiki’s delivery service is my absolute favorite. It’s just so delightful and relatable

[DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Challenge: Schaff ranks every Barbie movie from the 2000's (which is 16 total). I have no doubt the animation would irritate him to no end, but I also want him to be pleasantly surprised but how good a lot of them are regarding story, characters, & music. Plus, considering how pleased he was with Tim Curry as the Cat King, I want to hear Schaff's face when he realizes Tim was in not one but *two* Barbie movies, the era beginning *and* ending with him as the villain. 😉😆🥰

I'd let *him* decide whether or not he wants to continue into the 2010's...

[thedeliveryboy]

I feel like one of the themes of Howl's Moving Castle is "acting your age, " where Sophie acts like an old woman and gets turned into such, only changing back when she starts becoming more cheery. Howl starts off cool and calm until he throws said temper tantrum over something like his hair because he "has the heart of a child, " like dub version of Sophie says. Heck, Markl disguises as an old man and keeps the entire shop running while the Witch of the Waste's true age gets revealed after getting yoinked of her powers

I can totally understand how you can get confused with the movie, but I think it's a pretty fun ride with beautiful animation and music, with a story I can get behind.

[maurycyoseka]

2:10 - Earwing and the Witch (2020)
6:07 - Tale of Earthsea (2006)
8:07 - Ocean Waves (1993)
10:11 - Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
14:19 - Pom Poko (1994)
16:17 - The Wind Rises (2013)
17:25 - My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999)
19:41 - Arrietty (2010)
21:01 - The Cat Returns (2002)
22:22 - Poyno (2008)
23:21 - Nausicca: The Valley of The Wind (1984)
24:22 - Laputa: Castle in The Sky (1986)
26:20 - Porco Rosso (1992)
29:27 - From up on Puppy Hill (2011)
31:27 - My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
32:36 - When Marnie Was There (2014)
33:49 - Prnicess Mononoke (1997)
36:00 - Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
36:38 - Only Yesterday (1991)
38:20 - Kiki's Delivary Service (1989)
39:45 - Spirited Away (2001)
42:11 - The Tale of Princess Kagyuya (2013)
45:56 - Whisper of The Heart (1995)

[squishyface]

I have a complex relationship with the HMC movie because the BOOK by Diana Wynne Jones is PHENOMENAL. All of the confusion, EVERY single question raised about the film is addressed perfectly in the book. The first 45 minutes of the movie are great because they pull almost directly from the book and then the movie shifts directions completely once Soloman is introduced. If you have any interest in the story at all and want answers, I beg you to read the book. It is far more complex and yet it still wraps everything up into a gorgeous tidy little bow. I have reread it again least three times and I find something new in each read. Please, for the love of god and all that is good, read the book!!!!