Katy's Studio Ghibli Reviews
All the cool kids were making reviews and I noticed no one had bothered to do a few about Hayao Miyazaki's films from Studio Ghibli. To be fair, I'm only going to do the ones that have been purchased by Disney. :]
So this is my personal opioion about each one. Feel free to post if you agree or disagree. Don't feel bad if i bash your movie, I promise it's not personal. The titles are all links to their summaries on IMDB, so I'm mostly going to just give my review and comment on them
First up on the list:
My Neighbor Totoro
This movie was the first movie to get me into Studio Ghibli when I was a little kid. The plot portrays this beautiful sibling relationship as they struggle with missing their sickly mother. Then Totoro appears and helps them through this hard time. More of a "slice of life" movie than a real good against evil struggle.
I loved everything about this when i was little, but now that I'm a little older I still love the thought put into the characters. When they walk across the room they don't just walk, they act like little girls and it's adorable. The new remastered version has Dakota Fanning alongside her little sisters doing the voices. They're even better. :]
Needless to say this gets a
5 out of 5 stars
Kiki's Delivery Service
Kiki's Delivery Service! A classic Miyazaki with all the classic elements: a flying scene, Old school machinery, short hair on a girl, and those weird bloomer things they wear. The voice of Kiki is Kristen Dunst in the English version and she does a lovely job of playing the lively young witch set out to find herself.
The story was great except for a few parts. I really didn't like the love interest too much, Tombo. He was a bit annoying and tended to feed the "ohhh a witch" concept. There's no real villain in the movie either, like in Totoro, but there also wasn't as great an emotional strain on the character. Instead of sympathizing with Kiki during her emotional time, i just got annoyed and wanted to slap her. All in all a great movie, but not the best of the best.
3 out of 5 Stars
Howl's Moving Castle
This is a basic steampunk or cyberpunk movie, it's set in a different world where witches and wizards serve kings. The main plot is about Sophie, the plain elder daughter dedicated to her late father's hat shop. She has an encounter with a handsome mysterious visitor which in turn causes her to have a nasty conversation with a witch that curses her. This story is full of sub-plots and things to watch for that you'll miss if you're not careful. So make sure to watch it when you're not too busy.
This is probably one of Miyazaki's masterpieces. He got this from an British novel, but it strays far from the book, but in a good way. The English dub is amazing as well, it features big name voices such as Billy Crystal and Christian Bale. The characters are wonderfully flawed from one being a sneaky spy dog to being an over dramatic wizard that has a meltdown when his hair gets dyed the wrong color. Billy Crystal as Calcifer steals the show, he is able to create heart in a fire demon.
5 out of 5 stars if possible there would be more!
Whispers of the Heart
Whispers of the Heart is another classic "slice of life" movie from Studio Ghibli. It's a reality-based love story between two bright middle-school students. Shizuku, 14, lives with her elder sister and parents in a typical apartment. She really enjoys reading and, as the film begins, she is working on a school project to translate the words to John Denver's song, Country Road. Seiji, 15, lives with his parents, but we see him only at his maternal grandfather's place-where he is studying to become a violin maker. The story is based around how they meet, how their relationship develops, and how Shizuku challenges herself to embark on a major writing project.
Not as good as I expected. I finally got this for Christmas and was slightly disappointed. It was a sweet love story, but if you're looking for the amazing magic that encompasses a Miyazaki film don't look here. The characters were a bit frustrating and I found myself rooting against them because they got on my nerves. It has a ton of teenage angsty drama and i feel like if i wanted to know who likes who i could go to a local middle school. One good part is the night scenes however. They are quite beautiful. There are a few big names doing the english voices as well: Brittney Snow as Shizuku, David Gallanger (Simon from 7th Heaven) as Seiji, Ashley Tisdale as the Best Friend, Carey Elwes (from the Princess Bride) as the Cat. So those are a slight plus as well.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Spirited Away
The film follows a sullen ten-year-old girl who is in the process of moving to a new town (presumably in the countryside) with her family, and chronicles her adventures in a world of spirits and monsters. Her parents are turned into pigs and Chihiro(Sen) must find a way to turn them back.
Oh wow, really? Are there words? Even without my personal taste, this is the second animated movie to receive an Oscar and it beat Titanic in the Japanese Box Office. That alone can tell you the magnitude of this film. It's an amazing piece that I wish i could have seen in IMAX. The art is beautiful and the story keeps the watcher on the edge of their seats. The english dubs are quite good as well, Chihiro being played the voice actress that did Lilo's voice, and there are a few other voices that when you hear them they're quite familiar. Make sure to check out on the DVD the special feature "Behind the Microphone"
5 out of 5 stars
Castle in the Sky (Laputa)
The film begins with Sheeta, a girl with one helluva past as she is being held captive by the government on an airship. Sheeta holds the key to Laputa, the castle in the sky and a long lost civilization. The key to Laputa is a sacred pendant she has which is sought by many, namely the government, the military and the air pirate group, the Dola gang (who Sheeta and Pazu later befriend). Soon, the pirates attack the ship and she escapes during the raid. She falls a few thousand feet, but the fall is soft and thanks to her pendant. As she floats down from the sky, Pazu, an orphan boy who survives by working in the mines, sees Sheeta and catches her. The two become fast friends, but thanks to her pendant, the two get caught up in one huge thrill ride as the Dola gang and government try to capture Sheeta.
This movie is really old, it's older than Nasauicaa (which won't be reviewed in this post, because I've only seen it once and i feel like i need to watch it at least two or three times for a fair judgement) and Totoro, but it's still so exciting. This movie starts out in an action scene and doesn't slow down. This movie just isn't all action either, it's really funny. The Disney Dub is a tad better than the original English dub because the voices fit over the mouths better and they went back and remastered the music. This tends to be a big favorite among the younger guys because there is an established "bad guy" as well as pirates, guns, and explosions. The only bad thing is there tends to be some slow spots where you're not sure why you're watching it. I would still recommend it for those who get bored with the "Slice of life" movies but want to watch a good anime film.
4 out of 5 stars
Ponyo
The plot centers on a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy, SÅsuke, and wants to become a human girl. When her father takes her back and uses to much magic the world is tossed into turmoil and only Ponyo's mother can help bring it to normal, but only if Sosuke passes a test.
I was really excited about this movie, it was the first Miyazaki movie I got to watch in theaters. I was slightly disappointed. I expected a lot more for it to be full of such big names. I wasn't sure what was going on since nothing was really explained in full detail by the storyline. I like the movie and I'll buy the DVD eventually, but I don't see myself watching this one over and over like a few of the others.
2 out of 5 stars
Well that's all for now! These are just the ones I've seen a few times and felt like I could make a fair judgement on. I hope everyone liked what I had to say and want to go see some of these amazing movies now!
