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I am a huge Studio Ghibli fan. I grew up watching their movies alongside films from Pixar and Dreamworks. To this day, I still remember how Howl’s Moving Castle’s distinct steampunk aesthetic left me in awe as I watched it on our living room TV with my dad back in 2004.
There’s a special charm to Ghibli movies that I feel resonates deeply with us Indonesians. Maybe it's their frequent use of countryside settings or the overarching themes of nature and fantasy, but the slower, more whimsical stories in the films from the Japanese animation studio provide a different kind of warmth and familiarity that simply isn’t present in Western animation.
This is why I’ll be among the first in line when Studio Ghibli classics grace Indonesian theaters again at the end of this year.
With legendary movies such as My Neighbor Totoro (1998), which introduced the iconic fuzzy creature Totoro, and 2001’s Oscar-winning Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli consistently delivers breathtaking animation and captivating stories in fantastical settings that many consider the pinnacle of animation.
To the uninitiated, here are three Ghibli movie recommendations for you to enjoy with the family in theaters:
Ponyo
An aquatic adventure on the joy of exploration
Released in 2008, Ponyo is Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki’s 10th movie. The titular character, Ponyo, is a fish who turns human and the film follows the exciting journey that ensues after that transformation.
If you liked The Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo, you’ll love Ponyo. Not only does it provide similarly breathtaking imagery of the ocean, it also treats the audience to an epic adventure.
The heart of the story lies in the conflict between Ponyo and her father, Fujimoto. While Ponyo wants to explore the world and spend time with her new friends, her overprotective father tries to bring her home, unintentionally causing her harm.
For me, the movie teaches children the importance of exploration and encourages them to embrace the unknown and be open to new experiences.
For parents, it provides an opportunity to reflect on their relationship with their children. Do they see themselves in Fujimoto? Do they see their kids in Ponyo? It encourages parents to consider their approach to parenting and reflect on their own childhood experiences.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
A witch’s relatable rite of passage
An older Ghibli movie from 1989, Kiki’s Delivery Service embodies the unconventional storytelling Ghibli is known for. It’s a slow, meandering movie that follows the adventures of young witch Kiki as she finds her way in the big city on her own.
For parents, it can be a nostalgic throwback to their own journey to becoming an adult. Rewatching it recently made me reminisce about my time in college away from home and how I learned to live on my own.
It's a classic coming-of-age movie that subtly teaches children the difficulties they might face in the process of growing up, the value of slowing down to appreciate the little things in life and that things don’t always go as planned—it's okay, you’ll manage.
In a lot of ways, Kiki’s Delivery Service is about stepping out of your comfort zone and facing the challenges that come with that. Whether it be moving to a new school far away, starting a new job or any other life-changing milestone, this film resonates with a wide range of audiences.
While there’s no direct Western counterpart, if you enjoyed the first Harry Potter movie, you might find a lot of the same whimsical charm here, though with none of the creepy villains.
Overall, it's a relatable movie about figuring out life on your own, albeit with a mystical twist in a world of witches and magic.
The Cat Returns
A feline fantasy on the importance of self confidence
Like the name suggests, The Cat Returns from 2002 is packed to the brim with felines, making it a must-watch for cat lovers.
Beyond its cute cast, the movie tells a heartfelt, character-driven narrative that follows the main protagonist, Haru, a clumsy high schooler who finds herself swept up in the cat world after saving a cat from getting run over by a truck.
Without giving too much away, Haru learns that she can talk to cats and that the cat she saved is actually the prince of a secret cat kingdom. Now, she’s being coaxed into becoming their princess.
Through this adventure, Haru learns to be honest with what she wants in life and to recognize that she is capable of standing up for herself without pushing away people who want to offer her help. This makes her deeply relatable to tweens transitioning into adolescence who are in that awkward phase of figuring themselves out.
For kids, The Cat Returns emphasizes that they have control over who they are and who they want to become, and that they should not simply follow what they are told to do.
Beneath its silly premise, the movie is an inspiring story of self confidence and forging your own path despite societal expectations.
More from Ghibli
These movies showcase Ghibli’s beautifully fluid hand-drawn animation and captivating scores, but there’s so much more to explore beyond these three. The studio has an eclectic body of work and you can easily find yourself struggling to choose a favorite, as each subsequent film you watch seems to be better than the last.
Honorable mentions include the wartime drama The Wind Rises, the emotional sibling story Grave of The Fireflies and the epic fantasy Princess Mononoke. All of these are great, but they cover darker themes that might not be suitable for younger viewers.
If you don’t want to wait for their movies to hit the local theaters, you can conveniently find Studio Ghibli’s entire filmography on Netflix.
So if you wish to experience a different flavor of animation that explores fantastical settings with slower, more thoughtful narratives rooted in emotions, Studio Ghibli movies might become your new obsession, just like it has been mine for more than half of my life.
Aqraa Sagir is a writer for The Jakarta Post's Creative Desk. He’s chronically online in the hope it would be a useful asset for the job.
