Even in a Japanese culture awash with comics — manga — and animated cartoons — animé — Ghibli films stands out for incredible and incredibly intricate narratives and images, as well as for a strong moral thrust that manifests itself most characteristically in a championing of natural values as against corporate greed and technological society. The stories often feature children, as innocents who lead us into Wonderlands even Alice couldn't have imagined, or as wise-heroic leaders who defend their people against the attack of corrupting monsters and lead the way back into a more harmonious relationship with nature. But Ghibli crosses genres, from action-adventure to more reflective stories involving a coming-of-age and/or coming-to-terms with the past. But even the more realistic stories manage to crack open the door to a wider world, with fantastic dream sequences and visions of a heightened reality that is always there for those with eyes to see.

Oh, and what things there are to see in a Studio Ghibli film! Miyazaki is equally at home in depicting natural landscapes and technology (he loves to draw fantastic airships especially). His backgrounds (and Miyazaki is incredibly hands-on for the head of an animation studio) feature detailed renderings of natural phenomena such as fire, water, sunlight, shadows which have to be seen on a big screen to be fully appreciated. Rumor had it that Miyazaki was going to retire after Princess Mononoke, for which he personally drew (according to an article in Film Comment 80,000 out of 140,000 frames. Now, in the wake of the success of Spirited Away, which won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival, rumor has it Miyazaki wants to make three more features and then retire.

Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo in 1941, and worked his way through various animation studios before moving into directing television animation then his first theatrical feature, The Castle of Cagliostro in 1979. After the success of his next feature, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (based manga he had created), he started Studio Ghibli in 1984 and began his string of box-office successes.

Whether that domestic success will translate to North American success remains to be seen, but the 1996 distribution deal with Disney will give Miyazaki his best shot. Disney is spending big bucks to dub and add new soundtrack to the new releases. John Lasseter of Pixar, a long-time friend of Miyazaki, was brought on board to oversee the adaption of Spirited Away. (Note the yard lamp bouncing on one foot, a nod to Pixar's hopping desk lamp.) In addition to the new releases, Disney plans to redub all the old releases included in the deal (except My Neighbor Totoro).

American audiences will find Studio Ghibli films a real mind-expander: the images and narrative are not like anything seen in American animation, and the range of treatments from sensitive coming-of-age stories (like Only Yesterday) to wild action adventures (like Porco Rosso, aka The Crimson Pig will forever change American audiences' expectations of what animation can do. Parents will want to note that some Studio Ghibli films will have more violence than they expect in kids movies, from the mad demon monster in Princess Mononoke to the Stink Monster and No-Face in Spirited Away See Parents Guide to Animé at the website, The Animé Café for excellent film-by-film previews.

In addition, we've included below our own film-by-film preview for some of some of our favorite Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films.

The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Not strictly-speaking a Studio Ghibli film, but Miyazaki's first feature. There exist huge fans of the series of tv shows and novels, etc featuring master criminal "Lupin III" (translated in English for copyright films here as "The Wolf"). However, not being in that loop, I look at this film mainly as a Miyzaki fan and consider this a relatively primitive early work, with flashes of what's to come. In this story, Lupin/Wolf arrives at the castle of another arch-villian, Count Cagliostro, who's planning on marrying a local Princess -- but for his own nefarious reasons which she learns of too late. Also joining the fun are Inspector Zenigata, who is always dogging Lupin's tail, and his old flame and fellow thief, Fujiko, posing as the Princess's maid. By later Ghibli standards, the animation and backgrounds are lackluster, though there is some nice detailing in the castle (including suits of armor) and some interesting robo-ninja guards. The narrative lurches uncomfortably and confusingly forward and back, to a weirdly incoherent score. But Lupin fans love it, so to each his own.

Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (1984)
"Treehugger animé," as a friend of ours calls the more eco-sensitive of the Ghibli films, for junior high up. The film that enabled Miyazaki to start Studio Ghibli, based on his own manga of the same name. Nausicaa features a girl hero, but female viewers will probably dig less than boys this sci-fi shoot-em-up, with its way cool airships, mutant insects, and a certain amount of sermonizing. Warrior-princess Nausicaa (naw-shee-ka) is a friendlier and less-feral warm-up for Princess Mononoke. This time around, the princess is the wise-child-woman champion of the peaceful Valley People, who are protected by mountains from the surrounding post-apocalyptic Wastelands. The latter regions are actually wondrous mutant forests, filled with giant insects (such as the multi-eyed Ohmu), who are dangerous only until you get to know them. You'll love the alien landscapes and creatures of the wasteland, ditto the detailed treatment of the different cultures: the combination of Medieval and modern armor in the knights and tanks of the Torumekians, the Arabic Pejite, and peasant garb of the Valley, all with a twist of Flash Gordon. Still and all, Nausicaa is mostly an action movie, with violence, a few subtitled expletives (and a few of those strategic butt shots that may be a cultural thing, but make one wonder at times about that culture).

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
This is where Studio Ghibli took animated film to a new level, and showed possibilities for the medium far beyond action-adventure. Another stock character in the Ghibli universe (along with the Wise-Guardian-Girl) is the Cute Toddler, a little girl like Mei in Totoro or the younger version of Taeko in Only Yesterday, or the title character of Kiki's Delivery Service: a combination of wide-eyed wonder and wisdom. You fall in love with these characters instantly, their bright eyes, belly-giggles, and innocent vulnerability. Now imagine a film where you watch one of these moppets suffer horribly. "This is the only animated film that has ever made me cry," said Roger Ebert. Grave of the Fireflies, then, is about children, but I'd say it definitely may not be for children.

The setting is Japan - before the end of the Second World War, when a war-weary population was gearing up for the final invasion. I knew America dropped A-bombs on civilian populations in Japan, and incendiary bombs on civilian populations in Germany, but I didn't realize how much "softening up" U.S. planes did in the East prior to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The burning ordinance floats down from the sky, like fireflies, torching those paper houses like flash paper, leaving entire cities, and the audience, utterly devastated. A little girl and her brother are among those children orphaned and left to fend for themselves. There are real fireflies, a gorgeous visual motif to intercut with that other fire from the sky. One realizes from the start this film will not have a happy ending and it is, in fact, brutal. Grave of the Fireflies chronicles an unspeakable tragedy: like Kurt Vonnegut's story of the fire-bombing of Dresden, a story both softened and sharpened by interweaving elements of the fantastic. Well-distributed in the U.S., the DVD edition gives viewers a choice of subtitles or well-done overdubs.

My Neighbor Totoro (1989)
When people start gushing about how much they love Ghibli films, this much-beloved film will bob quickly to the surface as a prime example. My Neighbor Totoro is an utter delight, featuring the sort of out-of-left field Japanese imaginings that provoke surprise and wonder. A father and his two daughters move to the countryside while mother convalesces in a nearby hospital. Older daughter Satsuki goes to school, Dad works at home, and little Mei explores the Wonderland-like world that begins in her own backyard. Among her adventures, she meets the forest spirit, a fat and furry "totoro". You'll probably find this at your local video store, dubbed in English. A great Ghibli, sure to win you over.

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Here's another Ghibli delight, dubbed nicely and distributed widely in the U.S. However, the same people that mistrust Harry Potter are liable to fix on the fact that Kiki is, er, a witch. Of course, the witchery here amounts to mixing potions and flying a broom, symbols that are employed here as delightful metaphors for knowledge and freedom - just like in Harry Potter. Furthermore, both stories employ their magical metaphors in the context of coming-of-age tales, and in so doing find their place in a long tradition of such initiatory narratives, from Arthur and Wart to Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan.

Also like Harry, this is a coming-of-age film, but instead of taking place in a world invisible to mortals who are afraid of witches, this tale emerging from Japanese mythology makes witches very visible, indeed respected helpers to mortals. Every town has their own witch and, according to custom, Kiki, aged thirteen, must leave home to find her own place in the world. Her only partner is a snide black cat named Gigi who serves as her Jiminy Cricket conscience. Kiki finds a town and starts her own delivery service, wherein she learns responsibility, dealing with difficulties, overcoming her self-doubts and finding her own identity.

Life is like art, Kiki discovers, and you have to find your own authentic voice. Don't go through the motions: ask questions, be original. Kiki is so sweet, polite and vivacious, she'll win you over, too. Dubbed in English, at most video stores.

Only Yesterday (1991)
A coming-of-age film, one unexpectedly moving. Taeko, a Toyko office worker, takes a vacation in the countryside with relatives on their farm, where she helps harvest saffron flower. It is a time of reflection: for some reason, she is haunted by memories of her fifth grade year in school, the point at which, she thinks, her life went wrong. There was a conflict with her sister, and other difficulties at home and school. She works through those memories with the help of her younger self: unlike a film version of this story, in which it would be obvious that two actresses would be needed to play the same person for such a story, one really believes the two Taeko's in this animated version are the same person at different ages. A thoughtful chick-flick: sweet, and powerful.

Pom Poko, aka "The Racoon War" (1994)
More "tree-hugger anime," the old story of development threatening nature. This one stars racoons who are depicted variously as realistic and wacked-out ewok-like fantastic (and how's this for wacked-out: their secret weapon involves inflating their testicles and bludgeoning the bad guys with them!) There's a great dream sequence of shapeshifting that's just like fireworks: you just want to sit and watch and oooh and ahh. Eye-kicks, goofy fun, and er, unusual special effects.

Whispers of the Heart (1995)
A gem of self-discovery, Whispers of the Heart is another coming-of-age story, in which a shy young school girl finds the world is a whole lot bigger, more wonderous, and certainly more complicated than she had realized. A mostly realistic story of the "Young Girls"' genre, this film features an imaginative, book-loving fourteen-year-old girl, Shizuku trying to find her identity and learning to navigate the boy-girl thing. The story begins when she discovers a wonderful shop, depicted in rich detail, which for her opens her eyes to the magic of the world ("What a find! A place where stories start!"). Shizuku comes alive to her own individuality and the possibilities life holds for her, all against a slice of Japanese life: action in the streets, subway, her family's apartment, and, of course, school. We also get a look at Japanese courting customs. Most guys would dismiss this as a "chick flick", but the chicks will love it. Whispers of the Heart succeeds even in making a John Denver song a vehicle of transcendence.

Princess Mononoke, aka "Mononoke Hime" or Monster Princess (1998)
A huge hit in Japan, and the biggest splash anime has made yet in the states. Released in the U.S. dubbed with big-name voices including Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Cruddup and Minnie Driver. Mononoke is classic treehugger anime, with an environmentalist myth of the Fall. Once the land was covered with forests, the animals were sentient and men were fewer. Then came the greedy developer, Lady Eboshi, who runs Iron Town with an iron fist, intent on killing anyone who gets in her way - such as all the creatures of the forest; most tragically this includes the majestic Spirit of the Forest.

Younger kids will find this one scary in a few places, especially when an unlucky boar who becomes a worm-infested demon goes on a rampage. He's stopped from attacking a village by Prince Ashitaka, on his speedy red elk, Yakkul. The Prince is wounded in the battle, and thus sent on a great heroic quest in search of a cure for both himself and the environment. High-lights include the Tree Spirits - cute space-alien-like bobble-heads - and the many-horned Spirit in whose footsteps grow plants and whose breath changes the leaves' color.

The title character is a colder, tougher Nausicaa: the adopted daughter of the Wolf God, which she rides through the forest, hating all men for the damage they wreak on the natural world. The Iron Town work force are alumni of the local brothel and display plenty of cleavage, but that's all. And there's plenty of talk of gods and demons in a complicated pagan cosmology, but - like most paganism - this brand is less about theology than symbolic connection to the forces of nature. Mononoke is maybe not for kids under ten, but if I was thirteen or fourteen, I'd have thought this was the coolest movie I'd ever seen.

Spirited Away (2002)
See our feature review of this film.