Porco Rosso (1992)

[Movie 197 / Day 210]


Another magical Studio Ghibli movie, Porco Rosso is about set in the '20s in a world populated with pirates and bounty hunters, all flying and fighting in seaplanes. Porco Rosso is a man living under a curse that has turned him into a pig - the greatest pilot in the Adriatic, striking fear into the pirates. So much so that they group together and hire an American pilot to bring the pig down.

I love the style and world of Porco Rosso and the storyline is good stuff - although it seems to be aimed at an older market than most Studio Ghibli productions.

My rating: 7.4 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.8 / 10
Running time: 94 mins
IMDB link

The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

[Movie 164 / Day 175]


The first Studio Ghibli movie, Cagliostro nonetheless exhibits much of the same charm, wit and style as the later releases. Lupin is a master thief who, after stealing a carload of counterfeit money, decides to track down the counterfeiter and muscle in on the action.

He changes his mind when he realises the counterfeiter is the Count of Cagliostro and he's forcing a young princess to marry him in order to discover the location of a fabled treasure. From that moment on, his objective is to steal the princess away from the Count.

I liked it, although it's not as polished as the later Studio Ghibli fare.

My rating: 6.9 / 10
IMDB rating: 7.7 / 10
Running time: 110 mins
IMDB link

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

[Movie 161 / Day 172]


Studio Ghibli have, over the last 30-odd years, produced some wonderfully endearing cartoons - and My Neighbour Totoro is one of the best.

Two young girls, Satsuki and Mei, move to a new house in the Japanese countryside with their university professor father. Their mother is in hospital for treatment of an unmentioned illness. The two girls spend their time exploring the new house and the woods around it. One day whilst Satsuki is at school, Mei encounters a little forest spirit and chases it into the woods to discover a much bigger forest spirit called Totoro (apparently a mispronounciation of the Japanese word for troll). This spirit takes the form of a big, furry, cuddly thing. Before long, both Mei and Satsuki are having various adventures with Totoro.

There really is very little plot, but it's brilliantly handled and the movie just seems to exude a quality that keeps you captivated.

Disney bought the international rights to the Studio Ghibli back catalogue a while back and then redubbed most (all?) of the films with American actors. I normally have a problem with dubbing because it normally detracts from a movie and can be downright irritating. Disney have done a superb job however, seemingly taking the time to find voices that fit the characters of the movies. Dakota Fanning (and her younger sister Elle) are very well cast as the sisters.

Makes me want to rewatch more Ghibli.

My rating: 8.2 / 10
IMDB rating: 8.1 / 10
Running time: 86 mins
IMDB link