“Even between hate and death, life deserves to be lived. It is possible that wonderful encounters and beautiful things exist ”—Hayao Miyazaki (Goodreads) Where do we take refuge when things go wrong or when the world falls apart around us? In our family, our work and of course, in the cinema. The screen provides us with an escape valve from reality, a door to remote places where we can forget, even for a moment, about worries. The Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki knows a lot about this, that throughout his career in the Ghibli studio he has opened that door to other fantasy worlds where the imagination never runs out. ‘My neighbor Totoro’ (© Ghibli) MoreThe recent arrival From the acclaimed catalog of the Ghibli studio to Netflix, we can review or discover, according to each one, an animation studio that, since its foundation in 1985 by Miyazaki and his loyal partner Isao Takahata, has amazed several generations and has influenced numerous artists and filmmakers with their classics (Pixar for example always cites it among its main references). Ghibli’s films have a unique magic that sets them apart from others and can be as innocent and childish as harsh and adult.As we are already served with concern and pain, today we have decided to focus on the most tender titles of the studio to recommend a trip to the kindest and most comforting Ghibli universe. Take the blanket and prepare to fly holding onto Totoro’s belly from the sofa. Last February Netflix gave us a joy by incorporating into its offer the films of the Ghibli studio, emblem of Japanese cinema from which some of the greatest works have come out. animation teachers. In total 21 films released in three batches and whose calendar we leave below.こ れ ら の 全 て の Studio Ghibli 映 画 作品 が Netflix に 届 き ま す。 そ し て 私 達 は 、 っ 事 に と っ て も ま ま す。 pic.twitter.com/W7LD7DQtCX– Netflix Pelis Spain (@NetflixPelis) January 20, 2020 As I have said before, Ghibli films can address very mature subjects and show shocking images for the little ones. The grave of the fireflies introduces us to the horrors of war in an overwhelming war drama that has emotionally destroyed thousands of people. Princess Mononoke, one of the studio’s most epic films, spares no violence in getting her green message across. Chihiro’s Journey is a fantastic, meaning-filled masterpiece of identity and the advent of globalization in Japan after World War II. And The Wind Rises (Miyazaki’s latest feature film as director, for now) delves into historical realism in a very personal love letter from the director to aviation, which is why Ghibli is so liked by adult audiences, because in addition to his undoubted artistic quality, does not set limits to animation. A Ghibli film can be an adult melodrama, a children’s adventure, or a fairy tale full of folklore. His films are full of values and humanity, launch important messages about society and childhood, promote ecology and love of animals, and above all, invite you to dream and fly high. In many of them, literally, to a greater or lesser extent, all of them are recommended, but today we are going to focus on the most optimistic side of the studio, highlighting some of his lighter films – and in some cases also more unknown – in a marathon suggestion to go back to childhood and smile. Although a clarification first: even the lightest Ghibli film hides drama, depth and messages that are worth listening to. It is what makes it one of the best animation studios in the world.MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988) Released the same year as the heartbreaking Grave of the Fireflies, My neighbor Totoro is the film that consecrated Ghibli as one of the greatest creative forces of Japan. His magic conquered millions of children in the Japanese country, where he became a true phenomenon and a national symbol, and his image became the emblem of the studio appearing in the logo before all his films. Outside of Japan, Totoro was slow to find popularity as it wasn’t released until much later, but with the international success of Princess Mononoke and The Journey of Chihiro, audiences discovered Ghibli’s previous films and with them this endearing and furry Forest Spirit. The adventures of the sisters Mei and Satsuki with Totoro have a more childish cut and are ideal for the little ones due to their burst of color, imagination and fantasy, but the film is also very enjoyable for adults, who will also better capture their background on Loss and death.Read moreNICKY, THE WITCH’S LEARNER (1989) Ghibli and Miyazaki do two things especially well: tell stories about the passage from childhood to adulthood and write female protagonists. In Nicky, the witch’s apprentice both facets shake hands. It is one of the studio’s early films, a sympathetic proposal that has often been unfairly branded as a minor, when in reality it hides a lot of sensitivity and a very accurate portrait of adolescence. The story revolves around Nicky, a girl who, at the age of 13, decides to follow the tradition of witches and leaves her home to live in a city where she will learn to cope alone and know herself to become a definitive witch. Particularly recommended for those who tend to enjoy teenage cinema and coming-of-age stories. Its characters (including the funny black cat Jiji), its soundtrack and its aesthetics make it irresistible.MEMORIES FROM YESTERDAY (1991) Memories of Yesterday is one of Ghibli’s least-known films, but that’s why it’s also one of the most surprising surprises. nice from your catalog. Directed by the studio’s other great teacher, Isao Takahata (The Tomb of the Fireflies), the film is about a twenty-year-old named Taeko who returns to her town, where she relives precious moments from the past. Through memories, Taeko will be transported back to her childhood and her days at school as she copes with her problems in the present. Takahata was always the realistic counterpoint to Miyazaki’s riot of fantasy, but his films are also full of magic, only in a different way, costumbrista, everyday and very real. Memories of Yesterday is a nostalgic and comforting trip to escape the present by remembering the sweetest moments of the past.MY NEIGHBORS LOS YAMADA (1999) Also directed by Isao Takahata, this family comedy is a rare advertisement in Ghibli’s filmography, both for his style of animation (more cartoonish and childish) as well as its innovative vignette structure (based on a Hisaichi Ishii comic strip). Again showing us the most traditional aspect of Ghibli, My neighbors the Yamada introduces us to the routine of a Japanese middle-class family and their day-to-day experiences. Fun and endearing, the film stands out for its traditional and minimalist look – to maintain the essence of the comic strip, Takahata turned to digital technology, this being the first entirely computer-generated studio film – and has often been compared to the Yasujirō Ozu’s cinema and the animated series Shin-Chan.ARRIETTY AND THE WORLD OF DIMINUTES (2010) Miyazaki and Takahata are the main banners of Ghibli, but over time they gave the creative reins to younger disciples, such as Gorô Miyazaki ( Hayao’s son) or Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The latter directed one of the best films outside of the filmography of the founders, Arrietty and the world of the diminutive, based on the children’s books The Invaders (The Borrowers) by Mary Norton. The story follows a family of tiny beings who live hidden in a mansion, whose teenage daughter breaks the norm of not being seen by humans by developing a strong friendship with a sick boy who needs a heart transplant. Yonebayashi represents a more youthful and romantic facet of Ghibli, and Arrietty demonstrates this. Arrietty is one of the studio’s most underrated jewels, with a very sweet and melancholic tone, a very Ghibli female heroine and a beautiful message about friendship between very different people.Note: The following films are not yet on Netflix, but they will arrive in the last batch on April 1. HEART WHISPERS (1995) Another of the exponents of the good work of Ghibli beyond Miyazaki and Takahata would be Whispers of the heart, directed by Yoshifumi Kondō. Nicky’s successor and forerunner to Arrietty, Shizuku is a teenager passionate about reading who is shrouded in a mystery that will lead her to fall in love with the boy who is taking the same books as she from the library and, by the way, to meet herself and her vocation as a writer. In addition to telling another precious story of personal maturation, Whispers of the Heart is an ode to reading and the power of books to transport you to other worlds and transform you. With fantasy brushstrokes (which gave rise to the Haru spin-off in the cat kingdom), but rather grounded in reality, Whispers of the Heart is one of Ghibli’s most intimate and delicate films. Of course, a warning: you will not be able to get the Country Roads song by John Denver out of your head.PONYO EN LA CLIFLE (2008) After the epic of Princess Mononoke, Chihiro’s Journey and Howl’s Moving Castle, Miyazaki returned in 2008 with a more (relatively) simple and childish film, Ponyo on the cliff. Freely inspired by The Little Mermaid, the story tells of the friendship between a five-year-old boy and a fish princess who wishes to be human. Ponyo brings together everything that makes Ghibli so special: magic mixed with customs and folklore, ecological message, visual power, another unforgettable score by Joe Hisaishi and a beautiful friendship at the center of his story. Apparently lighter, this film hides a very powerful emotional and poetic charge, with moments on the surface and some of the most beautiful images in the studio. Another work of art by Miyazaki.MARNIE’S REMEMBER (2014) And we finished with the last Ghibli film before the animation studio closed its doors to restructure in 2014 due to an economic crisis. The memory of Marnie is the second film as director of Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty), another inspiring fable starring teenagers in the midst of an existential search. Anna, twelve years old, suffers from asthma, so she goes to live in the country, where she meets a mysterious girl, Marnie, with whom she establishes a very strong friendship that will bring her a great surprise. Of a kind and honest nature, The memory of Marnie combines preciousness and naturalism to tell a story full of naivety and tenderness that stands out from its predecessors for its plot twists. Although not as well-known as the others, Marnie is another emotional and charming story about that stage of transition and discovery that Ghibli has been able to portray so well, which makes it a good brooch for her first 30 years. AND HERE THE FULL CALENDAR OF THE GHIBLI WORKS AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX: ‘The castle in the sky’ (1986) ‘My neighbor Totoro’ (1988) ‘Kiki: Home deliveries’ (1989) ‘Memories of yesterday’ (1991) ‘Porco Rosso’ (1992) ‘I can listen to the sea’ (1993) ‘Tales from the Sea’ (2006) ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ (1984) ‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997) ‘My neighbors the Yamada’ (1999) ‘Chihiro’s journey’ (2001) ‘The Return of the Cat’ (2002) ‘Arrietty and the World of the Tiny’ (2010) ‘The Tale of Princess Kaguya’ (2013) ‘The War of the Raccoons’ (1994) ‘Whispers of the Heart’ (1995) ‘The Incredible Tramp Castle’ (2004) ‘The Little Mermaid’s Secret’ (2008) ‘The Hill of Poppies’ (2011) the wind rises’ (2013) ‘The memory of Marnie’ (2014) More stories that may interest you:
