Most animation aficionados have a soft spot for Studio Ghibli founder and animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s works—some would even be hard pressed to pick a favorite out of the director’s timeless library of anime classics. However, an ambitious polling website called Research Panel put this challenging question to over 130,000 Japanese toon fans, according to Kotaku. Shunkan News published the results:
- My Neighbor Totoro (24.3 percent)
- Castle in the Sky (17.6)
- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (14.8)
- Spirited Away (10.9)
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (9.1)
- Princess Mononoke (4.9)
- Porco Rosso (4.2)
- Howl’s Moving Castle (2.5)
- Ponyo (2.1)
The most surprising result of the poll was that out of the thousands queried, 9.6 percent had never seen any of the films listed—however, it was mostly those aged in their 60s to 80s. (Perhaps some sort of Ghibli For the Elderly outreach is in order?)
Please let us know in the comment section below what your favorite Miyazaki movie is, and whether you agree with the Japanese poll results.
Hmm, as you mentioned, it is hard to pick just one and it tends to fluctuate, but if I had to today, I’d probably pick Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
My favorites are Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and pretty much any of the others. I can’t pick one. But I would have put put Howl’s Moving Castle first because that was the first one I saw of his, and it’s what has motivated me to become an animator.
I have always felt that MONONOKE was the most complete (and genuinely dramatic) film of his catalogue. That makes it my favorite, for sure.
#1 for me is Howl’s Moving Castle. No question. Porco Rosso is the weakest in my opinion.
For Me. 1. Howl’s Moving Castle 2. Spirited Away 3. My Neighbor Totoro
For me, as an European Animation fan, porco rosso made the biggest impression, although the others are big too! They pictured european styles so beautifully, maybe more precise and playful, squeezing the essence, that I ever knew from a local!
1. Princess Mononoke
2. Spirited Away
3. My Neighbour Totoro
4. Howl’s Moving Castle
5. Ponyo
I’d definitely have to say…
1. Spirited Away
2. My Neighbour Totoro
3. Howl’s Moving Castle
4. Princess Mononoke
5. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
6. Castle in the Sky
7. Kiki’s Delivery Service
8. Ponyo
9. Porco Rosso
I would say this order…
Spirited Away
Howl’s Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
Castle in the Sky
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Princess Mononoke
Porco Rosso
Ponyo