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It’s been a few years since I first watched Isao Takahata directed Grave of the Fireflies which opened a new horizon for me in the form of Studio Ghibli, more so because I still wasn’t so well acquainted with the medium of animation. Fast forward and here I am having completed Omoide no Marnie and trying to make a list out of some of the moments that made me gasp in wonder or excited my tear glands out of happiness, melancholy, or sometimes, even wistfulness.
Movie facts have been added below each entry.
20. Baron’s flight in Whisper of the Heart
“When you become an artist, you are like that rock. You are in a raw, natural state with hidden gems inside. You have to dig down deep and find the emerald studs the way inside you. And that’s just the beginning.”
Movie facts:
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- AKA: Mimi wo Sumaseba
- Year: 1995
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Yoshifumi Kondō
19. The old clubhouse in From Up On Poppy Hill
Be it Howl’s castle, Arrietty’s dollhouse, or this, Ghibli never disappoints when it comes to creating intricate designs.
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- AKA: Kokuriko-zaka Kara
- Year: 2011
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Gorō Miyazaki
18. Final scene of The Castle of Cagliostro
The whole movie is full of heart and constitutes many delightful moments (particularly worth mentioning is the finale between Lupin and the baron) but in the end, I decided to go with this one.
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
- AKA: Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro
- Year: 1979
- Genre: fantasy/adventure
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
17. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in Whisper of the Heart
The most delicate coming-of-age film I’ve watched and probably ever will. This scene is just one of my many favorite scenes in it.
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- AKA: Mimi wo Sumaseba
- Year: 1995
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Yoshifumi Kondō
16. Kiki’s arrival in town in Kiki’s Delivery Service
“You’d think they’d never seen a girl and a cat on a broom before.”
- IMDb rating: 7.9/10
- AKA: Majo no Takkyūbin
- Year: 1989
- Genre: fantasy/drama
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
15. Hisako’s reminiscence of her childhood when she and Marnie were friends in When Marnie Was There
Basically, I was struggling through this movie and I’ll even admit this is not one of the Studio’s best works but the way the last act unfolds as all the pieces of Anna’s past and present fit together and she finally comes to accept her circumstances was very well done.
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
- AKA: Omoide no Marnie
- Year: 2014
- Genre: mystery/drama
- Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
14. Chihiro’s train journey in Spirited Away
While I realize there’s no point in searching for symbolisms everywhere in a story that takes place almost in its entirety in a fantastical world, still, with the one-way route, the shadows which look like people, and even the glimpse of a little girl as the train leaves a certain station, Kenji Miyazawa’s Night on the Galactic Railroad invariably comes to mind, and one cannot help thinking about the numerous possibilities this little animated sequence could represent.
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
- AKA: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
- Year: 2001
- Genre: fantasy/mystery
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
13. Catharsis of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Majestic as well as introspective, this scene moved me so much that I paused for a moment and thought about the ways I choose to live my life. And I think that’d hold true for anyone who decides to watch this movie.
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- AKA: Kaguyahime no Monogatari
- Year: 2013
- Genre: fantasy/drama
- Directed by: Isao Takahata
12. Arrietty’s family leaves for a new home in The Secret World of Arrietty
“I hope you have the best life ever.”
If Ghibli movies taught me any one thing, it’s humility. And it’s most apparent in Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and this feature.
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
- AKA: Kari-gurashi no Arrietty
- Year: 2010
- Genre: fantasy
- Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Gary Rydstrom
11. Reaching Nirvana in Pom Poko
They don’t come any weirder than Pom Poko. The group of tanuki boards on a ship that is basically made out of the testicles of their leader and sails for nirvana.
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- AKA: Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
- Year: 1994
- Genre: drama/comedy
- Directed by: Isao Takahata
10. Nausicaä befriends the fox squirrel in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Miyazaki makes massive ecological statements such as this in a matter of seconds which others would probably take up a whole movie for. Ingenious!
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- AKA: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
- Year: 1984
- Genre: fantasy/sci-fi
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
9. The protagonists share their intimate moments through paper airplanes in The Wind Rises
They don’t fall in love these days like they used to. *sigh*
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- AKA: Kaze Tachinu
- Year: 2013
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
8. Riding the wave in Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
This little sequence begs to be watched to be believed.
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
- AKA: Gake no Ue no Ponyo
- Year: 2008
- Genre: fantasy/drama
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
7. Sen remembers her real name in Spirited Away
After spending the night at Yubaba’s bathhouse, this is the scene where Chihiro was reminded of her real name again by Haku and that her ultimate goal was to find her parents and return home. The direction skills of Miyazaki are so subtle that as if along with Chihiro, he even made the audience go through a mild transformation while keeping them oblivious of that fact.
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
- AKA: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
- Year: 2001
- Genre: fantasy/mystery
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
6. Shizuku’s first visit to the antique shop through the alleys of Tokyo in Whisper of the Heart
Remember, if you ever find a queer, fat cat leading you into an unknown alley on a cloudy day, you must follow him.
Coincidentally, this is also the screen I use whenever a newbie asks me about Ghibli.
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- AKA: Mimi wo Sumaseba
- Year: 1995
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Yoshifumi Kondō
5. The last robot guard in Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Science and technology is a blessing or a curse only depending on our own actions. It can destroy cities, but it can also gift you with flowers.
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- AKA: Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa
- Year: 1986
- Genre: fantasy/action
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
4. Tanuki parade in Pom Poko
The movie is worth sitting through two hours just for this sequence alone.
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- AKA: Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
- Year: 1994
- Genre: drama/comedy
- Directed by: Isao Takahata
3. Ending scene of Only Yesterday
Ghibli’s most underrated masterpiece.
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
- AKA: Omoide Poroporo
- Year: 1991
- Genre: drama/romance
- Directed by: Isao Takahata
2. Porco’s bedtime story in Porco Rosso
“Better a pig than a fascist.”
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
- AKA: Kurenai no Buta
- Year: 1992
- Genre: fantasy/drama
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
1. The bus stop in My Neighbor Totoro
The boundless imagination and the underlying fragility of childhood, visualized on screen by a maestro of his craft. One word – timeless.
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- AKA: Tonari no Totoro
- Year: 1988
- Genre: drama/fantasy
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Kindly note that while Lupin III Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaa are technically pre-Ghibli films, but since they feature prominently as Miyazaki’s most revered works, we have taken the liberty to have included them in this list.
If you feel you have a personal favorite scene in your opinion that is not included here, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.
