Two days ago, I wrote a short post on the beautiful but tough to watch - due to its theme - animated movie Grave of the Fireflies (1988). I actually decided to give it another watch yesterday night. It moved me to tears and made my nose all snotty.
This morning, I found a response to that post from my South African, Viking buddy @sigrfolkr :
It made me decide, to do a little series on the studio that has produced some of the greatest animated films ever.
I will skip the 'history-of-this-studio' part. You can find all that on Google or Wikipedia. Instead, I will move on to the first Ghibli movie that made it to my favorite movies - in chronological order, starting out with the oldest:
Nausicaä of The Valley of the Wind ( Kaze no tani no Naushika, 1984 )
This is an amazing post-apocalyptic story, with a strong female character in the lead. A princess trying to save the (already dying) world.
It was based on the first two volumes of the manga with the same name, written and drawn by this film's director - Hayao Miyazaki - between 1982 and 1994. Source
Even though this wasn't officially a Studio Ghibli production, it was released a year before the company was established, it's 'the film' that has made it possible to found Ghibli - due to its success - and to churn out many classics in the decades to come. Later, it was accepted as part of the Ghibli Oeuvre.
Miyazaki is often seen as the Japanese 'Walt Disney'. Interesting enough, it was the Disney company that eventually made his films popular and available outside of Japan. The film was heavily cut for its distribution in Europe and the USA, back to 95 minutes and re-named 'Warriors of the Wind'.
Over a decade later, Harvey W - the man who must not be named - proposed to do the same with Ghibli's Princess Mononoke (1996). This made Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli decide to collaborate with Disney instead, after having sent a katana sword to the Weinsteins, with the words: 'NO CUTS' embedded into its blade. Source
Are you planning to watch this film? Then make sure that you watch the uncut 117 minute - uncut - version!
Earlier movie recommendations:
The Abyss (1989) Grave of the Fireflies (1988) The Virgin Spring (1960)
Short film Table Tennis inspired by David Lynch
Spanish: Todo Sobre mi Madre (1999) REC (2007) La Caza (1966) The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
Other: Le Samourai (1967) Three Billboard outside of Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Castlevania - series (2017 - )
House by the Cemetery (1981) The Beyond (1981) City of the Living Dead (1980)
Sorcerer (1977) The Birds (1963) Suspiria (1977) Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) Nightcrawler (2014) Ghost Story (1953) Alice in the Cities (1974) Altered States (1980) Wake in Fright (1973)
and many more...
Image source [Nausicaa GIF](https://tenor.com/view/nausicaa-gif-3547732), [image 1](http://www.tokkoro.com/1475869-nausica-of-the-valley-of-the-wind.html)
