The Best Studio Ghibli Movies:
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Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
Summary:
10-year-old Chihiro Ogino’s family stumbles upon a deserted theme park.
Intrigued, the family investigates the park, though unknown to them, it is secretly inhabited by spirits who sleep by day and appear at night.
When Chihiro’s mother and father eat food from a restaurant in the street, angry spirits transform them into pigs.
Furthermore, a wide sea has appeared between the spirit world and the human one, trapping Chihiro, the sole human, in a land of spirits.
Luckily for her, though, a mysterious boy named Haku appears, claiming to know her from the past.
Under his instructions, Chihiro secures a job in the bathhouse where Haku works.
With only her courage and some new found friends to aid her, Chihiro embarks on a journey to turn her parents back to their original forms and return home.
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Howl’s Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki)
Summary:
Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl.
The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a spell on Sophie.
In a life-changing adventure, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent flying castle and enters a magical world on a quest to break the spell.
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Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumi Kondo)
Summary:
During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him.
This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart.
Soon, Shizuku’s exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination.
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The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi)
Summary:
A tiny but tenacious “Arrietty”, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper.
Like all little people, Arrietty remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts.
But when Shou, a boy comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms.
If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger.