All Studio Ghibli Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

The latest: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced a new 11-month exhibition celebrating Studio Ghibli and the hand-drawn artistry behind Ponyo. The installation will spotlight the film’s magical water worlds, hand-painted animation process, and themes of transformation, connection, and joy. Learn more.

Studio Ghibli has been gently revolutionizing the animation world since 1986, combining an endearing and empathetic worldview with rousing adventure. That was the year of their debut feature, Castle in the Sky, which heralded the superstar team of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. (Nausicaa, which we’re including on this list, was made before Ghibli’s founding but has been culturally adopted as part of of filmography.) Miyazaki has been Studio Ghibli’s global champion, and rounded out the rest of the ’80s with My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. And it wasn’t long before producer Takahata wore the director’s hat, crafting the somber Grave of the Fireflies, which played as a double feature with Totoro in Japan.

(See also: The 100 best anime movies of all time.)

Entering the ’90s, the two Ghibli founders went toe-to-toe with Porco Rosso and Only Yesterday. The latter was by Takahata, establishing him as a more dramatically grounded artist as compared to Miyazaki’s literal flights of fancy. But it is Miyazaki’s fantastical stories that have proven popular internationally, from the ecological war epic Princess Mononoke to the witchcraft and wizardry of Howl’s Moving Castle to the Oscar-winning masterpiece Spirited Away. The Tale of Princess Kaguya was Takahata’s final film before his death in 2018.

Other directors at Studio Ghibli include Miyazaki’s son Goro (Tales from Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill) and Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty, When Marnie Was There), who subsequently left to found Studio Ponoc after Ghibli went into hiatus in 2014 following Miyazaki’s retirement. This isn’t the first time he’s announced retirement (he did so after Ponyo, and after The Wind Rises), and he’s back at it again with The Boy and the Heron, an adaptation of the young-adult novel How Do You Live?. Now we rank all of Studio Ghibli’s movies by Tomatometer, Certified Fresh films first! —Alex Vo

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

100%

90%

Critics Consensus: Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

Synopsis: A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Only Yesterday (1991)

100%

82%

Critics Consensus: Only Yesterday's long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio's incredibly consistent commitment to quality.

Synopsis: A put-upon 27-year-old Japanese office worker travels to the countryside and reminisces about her childhood in Tokyo and what life could have been.

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Ashley Eckstein, Alison Fernandez

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

100%

95%

Critics Consensus: An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli's most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.

Synopsis: A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager charged with the care of his younger... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi

Directed By: Isao Takahata

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

98%

89%

Critics Consensus: Kiki's Delivery Service is a heartwarming, gorgeously-rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world.

Synopsis: In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds, Janeane Garofalo

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Spirited Away (2001)

96%

Critics Consensus: Spirited Away is a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale that will leave viewers a little more curious and fascinated by the world around them.

Synopsis: 10-year-old Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) moves with her parents to a new home in the Japanese countryside. After taking a wrong turn down a wooded path,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

96%

88%

Critics Consensus: Soulfully exploring thought-provoking themes through a beautifully animated lens, The Boy and the Heron is another Miyazaki masterpiece.

Synopsis: From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Luca Padovan, Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

94%

86%

Critics Consensus: Visually lush, refreshingly free of family-friendly clatter, and anchored with soulful depth, The Secret World of Arrietty lives up to Studio Ghibli's reputation.

Synopsis: Arrietty, a tiny teenager, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban home, unbeknown to the homeowner and housekeeper. Like others of her... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, David Henrie, Will Arnett

Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

94%

Critics Consensus: My Neighbor Totoro is a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood.

Synopsis: This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly, Lea Salonga

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

Princess Mononoke (1997)

94%

Critics Consensus: With its epic story and breathtaking visuals, Princess Mononoke is a landmark in the world of animation.

Synopsis: A prince becomes involved in the struggle between a forest princess and the encroachment of mechanization.

Starring: Claire Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#10

When Marnie Was There (2014)

92%

88%

Critics Consensus: When Marnie Was There is still blessed with enough visual and narrative beauty to recommend, even if it isn't quite as magical as Studio Ghibli's greatest works.

Synopsis: A tomboy (Hailee Steinfeld) explores a long-abandoned villa and meets a mysterious blonde girl only she can see.

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Kathy Bates, Mila Brener, Ellen Burstyn

Directed By: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

#11

Ponyo (2008)

91%

84%

Critics Consensus: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.

Synopsis: During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy named Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Noah Cyrus, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#12

The Wind Rises (2013)

88%

85%

Critics Consensus: The Wind Rises is a fittingly bittersweet swan song for director Hayao Miyazaki.

Synopsis: A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane. View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Martin Short

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki, Gary Rydstrom

#13

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

88%

93%

Critics Consensus: Exquisitely illustrated by master animator Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle will delight children with its fantastical story and touch the hearts and minds of older viewers as well.

Synopsis: Sophie (Emily Mortimer) has an uneventful life at her late father's hat shop, but all that changes when she befriends wizard Howl (Christian Bale), who... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#14

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

87%

80%

Critics Consensus: Gentle and nostalgic, From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli's sweeter efforts -- and if it doesn't push the boundaries of the genre, it remains as engagingly lovely as Ghibli fans have come to expect.

Synopsis: Yokohama teens try to save their school's clubhouse from being demolished.

Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Jun'ichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Yuriko Ishida

Directed By: Goro Miyazaki

#15

Castle in the Sky (1986)

96%

91%

Critics Consensus: With a storytelling palette as rich and brilliant as its animation, Castle in the Sky thrillingly encapsulates Studio Ghibli's unique strengths.

Synopsis: Young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, are flying to a military prison when their plane is attacked by a gang of air pirates... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#16

Porco Rosso (1992)

96%

87%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this entrancing tale by renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, World War I flying ace Marco Pagot mysteriously turns from a man into a pig... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael Keaton, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, Cary Elwes

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#17

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

95%

90%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Based on the manga with the same title, this animated film follows Shizuku, an inquisitive young girl and a voracious reader, who longs to be... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Brittany Snow, David Gallagher, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Cary Elwes

Directed By: Yoshifumi Kondo

#18

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

91%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Far in the future, after an apocalyptic conflict has devastated much of the world's ecosystem, the few surviving humans live in scattered semi-hospitable environments within... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman

Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki

#19

Ocean Waves (1993)

89%

63%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The arrival of a pretty transfer student from Tokyo sets in motion a change in the relationship between two best friends.

Starring: Nobuo Tobita, Toshihiko Seki, Yoko Sakamoto, Yuri Amano

Directed By: Tomomi Mochizuki

#20

The Cat Returns (2002)

88%

82%

Critics Consensus: Sweetly charming and beautifully animated, The Cat Returns offers anime adventure suitable for the very young and young at heart.

Synopsis: High school student Haru rescues a cat that was about to be run over by a truck and discovers the cat is actually a prince... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Kristen Bell, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle

Directed By: Hiroyuki Morita

#21

Pom Poko (1994)

86%

77%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Shape-shifting raccoons band together to save their forest homeland from the bulldozers of greedy land developers.

Starring: Kokondei Shinchou, Makoto Nonomura, Yuriko Ishida, Norihei Miki

Directed By: Isao Takahata

#22

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

78%

75%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The adventures of a modern family in Japan.

Starring: Hayato Isohata, Masako Araki, Naomi Uno, Toru Masuoka

Directed By: Isao Takahata

#23

Tales From Earthsea (2006)

37%

46%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In the land of Earthsea, a mysterious force threatens to plunge humanity into destruction and chaos. A powerful wizard named Sparrowhawk seeks the source of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay, Cheech Marin

Directed By: Goro Miyazaki

#24

Earwig and the Witch (2020)

28%

68%

Critics Consensus: With a story as uninspired as its animation, Earwig and the Witch is a surprising -- and near-total -- misfire for Studio Ghibli.

Synopsis: Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Richard E. Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Dan Stevens, Taylor Henderson

Directed By: Goro Miyazaki