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Showing posts with label Studio Ghibli. Show all posts

Studio Ghibli has made some of the best animated films every made. For the most part, the Miyazaki films are the ones that get the most attention, but that doesn't mean that his films are the only great films from this studio. Here, I have made a list of some of the underrated films that have been released, some being movies that you have probably haven't heard or seen or that have just gone unnoticed. Everything that Studio Ghibli has made has been good to great and these are just a few more that you can add to that list.

Whisper of the Heart

This is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films ever released and is the one that I think goes most unnoticed. It follow a girl trying to figure out what her future holds, she doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. But when she gets inspired to write a story from a cat statue from a antique shop, she finally realized what she has been wanting to do all this time. At the same time developing a very kid friendly relationship with a boy who happens to share the same interest in books with her. Its a very nice tale that can get you inspired to do something you really enjoy, especially in the creative field.

Only Yesterday

To an extent this is one of the more popular non fantastical film that tells a story of a woman retelling her childhood events that prevent her from moving forward in life. It is the most grounded and realistic film but really takes advantage at the fact that of the animation at the right moments. The film is being re-released with a English dub for the first time on Blu-Ray in January of 2016, check it out when it is released as this is one of the most critically acclaimed Ghibli films.

Ocean Waves

This was a made for television animated film created by Studio Ghibli in the 90s. Normally that would mean something of lesser quality or something that just wasn't good enough for the silver screen but here this is quite the opposite. Compared to most straight to TV movies, this deserves to be released as a feature film because this is one of the better and most mature stories that Ghibli has every released. The film follows a student recounting his events from his senior year of high school and all the friendships and relationships he went through that year. Particularly with a girl who he has quite a conflict with for most of the film.

Tales of the Earthsea

Probably the most controversial film to be released from Studio Ghibli, as the film deviates from the original source material. Sometimes that can be a good thing for a film and sometimes it has a negative affect. Here it was the negative effect, but that doesn't change the fact that is a pretty entertaining movie. The only real problem is that it doesn't go all the way that could've made it into something special. That doesn't change the great animation and the potential this movie could've had. Check it out if you have seen every movie released from Ghibli and are still looking for one to watch.

The Cat Returns

You could call this movie, the sequel to the book that was written in Whisper of the Heart. It's a Spin off to that film where a few familiar characters from that movie show up. A girl saves a cat from being killed on the street but it turns out that he a prince from the world of cats. She gets invited to go stay there but soon realizes that if she doesn't leave by a certain point she will be stuck as a cat for the rest of her life. Its a light story with fun characters and a fun adventure.

PG | 103 min

Genre: Animation, Drama, Family

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Writer: Keiko Niwa

Plot: A young girl is sent to the country for health reasons, where she meets an unlikely friend in the form of Marnie, a young girl with flowing blonde hair. As the friendship unravels it is possible that Marnie has closer ties to the protagonist than we might expect.

When Marnie Was There is possibly Studio Ghibli's last film ever released. I have enjoyed every single film I've seen from them and It's sad to know that they might not ever make another film again. If this is their last film ever released they definitely have gone away in a good manner. I say that because this is one of the best films ever produced by them and quite possibly be my personal favorite Studio Ghibli film.

The film starts off as we follow a young girl named Anna who travels to a country side near a lake to stay with family. She goes there because of a sickness that isn't gone into that much, and we begin to know a little about her. The movie really starts when she begins to see a girl in a house that is across the lake that has been abandoned for some time. She even sees lights turning on and the house being more active than it should be. She becomes attracted to the house more and more trying to explore it and see what its like.

She soon meets Marnie who is a girl who lives in the house but only shows up at certain times near the lake. This begins a great friendship between the two as Anna learns more and more about Marnie and her life. This is where the film turns from just an ordinary Ghibli film to something really special and mature.

The animation is gorgeous throughout the entire film its hard to pick a great moment where it stands out from the rest. Hand drawn animation always looks great but here its something of the best I've seen from the backgrounds to the colors and even the details in the characters themselves, something that tends to be Anime's weakest point.

I think this is their most mature story yet, not to say that it is a bad thing at all, but it add a lot of weight to the film making it something that isn't light without any meaning. Especially in a kids film, where now and days seems to be very simple and rely on comedy and moments of emotion.

This is one of my favorite films of the year and one of my favorite animated films I've ever seen. I highly recommended this to anyone who wants a good kids film that has mature weight to it and is a fan of Studio Ghibli and their films. I hope this Studio continues to make great films in the future but if this is their last one, they went out on a high note.

Rating:

Recently I have been watching more Anime and over the past month, I seen a few movies, that aren't exactly the most popular ever released. But at movies definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen them.

5. Time of EVE

Time of EVE is a smaller Anime film directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. The film takes place in the future and has a feel similar to I' Robot and somewhat Ghost in The Shell. The story follow Rikuo who's robot maid mysteries goes to a cafe whenever she isn't around, and this leads to them getting to know the people at this cafe. It has some interesting twists and turns and a pretty good message at the end.

4. Memories - Magnetic Rose

Magnetic Rose is one of three short films in the Memories collection. This segment is directed by Kôji Morimoto and follows a few spacemen who land onto an astroid they decide to explore. The tone and atmosphere is what really makes this short shine as well as the fantastic animation to complement it. If you are into sci-fi and space this short is definitely worth checking out.

3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

From Mamoru Hosoda, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a very creative film that both has a small feeling with hints of a bigger world around it. One day, Makoto stumbles upon a pebble that allows her to leapt through time to a certain point, giving her the ability to relive the same day over and over again. The lightness of the movie really makes it enjoyable to watch and has simplistic art style that just could be my personal favorite.

2. Patema Inverted

Also from Yasuhiro Yoshiura, This is a follow up film where a young girls ends up entering to the surface below here to find that that she is actually living upside down from the surface world. The concept is very original and the way its handle is very well down. The main story is pretty basic, but sometimes that a good thing, especially when you are showed such a rich world that has a lot of mystery to it.

1. Whisper of the Heart

More of an underrated Studio Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart is easily on my favorite anime films of all time. The film is more realistic from other anime films but it knows how to include fantastical elements in the right moments. The story itself is simple and relatable with the way the movie plays out leaves you inspired. If you haven't seen it you should definitely check this one out.

Have you seen any of these films? and which ones sound the most interesting to check out? Leave your comments down below.