Hayao Miyazaki

Kiki’s Delivery Service

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Kiki’s Delivery Service
  • IMDb: link

Hayao Miyazaki‘s Studio Ghibli coming of age film offers the story of a young witch named Kiki (Minami Takayama | Kirsten Dunst) who sets off with her talking black cat Jiji (Rei Sakuma | Phil Hartman) to a new town for a year of learning to be a witch away from her family. Kiki settles on a large seaside community where she struggles to fit in until helping a baker (Keiko Toda | Tress MacNeille) and discovering how she can put her broom flying to use across the city. 

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Princess Mononoke

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Princess Mononoke
  • IMDb: link

When I first saw Princess Mononoke more than 25 years ago I thought it was weird, but a very pretty and visually striking film. Rereleased into theaters in a remastered 4K version, the film still looks terrific. Credited with helping to elevate anime to a new level and discussion as a serious art form, Princess Mononoke remains a favorite of many, including influencing several modern-day filmmakers. Sadly, it’s still a little too weird for me with emotional beats that don’t always hit their mark.

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The Great Films – My Neighbor Totoro

/ / Home Video
  • Title: My Neighbor Totoro
  • IMDb: link

Universally regarded as one of the best animated films of all time, 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro follows 10 year-old Satsuki Kusakabe (Noriko Hidaka | Dakota Fanning) and 4 year-old Mei Kusakabe (Chika Sakamoto | Elle Fanning) on an amazing adventure after the move to the countryside with their father Tatsuo (Shigesato Itoi | Tim Daly). Shortly after arriving, the girls discover their new home is different finding dust spites in the house. Mei later follows two more unusual characters through the woods where she encounters the slumbering Totoro who more fascinates the young girl than scares her.

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The Boy and the Heron

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Boy and the Heron
  • IMDb: link

The Boy and the Heron

The latest from writer/director Hayao Miyazaki follows a familiar formula of a child dragged into an unusual and magical world. Based on experiences Miyazaki had as a child with loss, the film is a personal one for him with a message of striving to overcome grief and loss and the growth from childhood into adulthood by learning to unselfishly care for others.

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