I know why I love Spirited Away, but it's amazing that so many others feel the same way about it. Studio Ghibli is an esteemed Japanese animation company, made famous by the likes Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, two of its best films. Sophie heads out to the wastelands to find a witch or wizard who can lift the curse. Studio Ghibli movies are known for the beautiful visuals used to tell their animated stories, often featuring scenes of nature, fantastic worlds or pastoral life. HBO Max is continuing its strong anime streak with the addition of four new films, two documentaries, and an upcoming Studio Ghibli movie this month, courtesy of … I don't know if there's a more unsettling moment than seeing your mom and dad suddenly transform into pigs. "It was a strange story," he explained in a 2014 interview. As Grandma Sophie, our heroine finds her courage and her voice, free to say whatever she thinks. It's a place of disturbing silence, alien faces. With the launch of its new streaming service, HBO Max came in swinging, offering a full catalog of different films and shows for viewers to enjoy. But it's a wonderful entry in the filmmaker's middle catalogue. 'Southern Charm' Needed Venita Aspen More Than It Even Knows, John Pringle Breaks Down The High and Low Points of His First Season of 'Southern Charm'. So it makes sense that their next new release will also feature on the service. There are no antagonists or scary monsters, or any real sense of conflict. In Mononoke, Lady Eboshi leads Iron Town, a human settlement producing rifles and warring with the gods of the forest. Harry may be more famous, but there's another clever, charming wizard worth knowing. Kiki isn't the same type of tough as San in Princess Mononoke, but Kiki's struggle to overcome self-doubt is no less heroic. The movie has an ending so brutal and truthful that, the morning after watching for the first time, I could barely even look at the cover of the DVD. 619, This story has been shared 522 times. The Studio Ghibli collection of Miyazaki films is finally available to stream on HBO Max — and not a second too soon! One hallmark of Miyazaki's films is bizarre whimsy tempered by thoughtful wonder. Jake Kleinman 5.27.2020 4:15 PM HBO Max is continuing to expand the list of original and exclusive content for its streaming service. Instead, it's based on a true story -- its flights of fancy soar around our real world, riding on the wings of wistful aeronautical engineer Jiro's aircraft designs. Grave of the Fireflies is undoubtedly his most celebrated film. Her curiosity brings her to the surface of the sea where, in the form of a weird goldfish, she befriends a boy exploring tide pools on his island. But that slow, easy pace, which perfectly mirrors the idyllic countryside setting, is a big reason why it's so easy to get into. Grave of the Fireflies is a haunting, visceral movie unlike anything I've ever experienced in animation. 251. VyprVPN. He carries a gravely injured stranger on his back, stepping over great, moss-blanketed tree roots. Her energy is unstoppable. 6 “Castle in the Sky” … Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 2,674, This story has been shared 2,398 times. For example, say you want to watch one of HBO Max’s Studio Ghibli films (they’re the only streaming service to carry them) in the original Japanese rather than English. Discuss: Studio Ghibli's movies on HBO Max, the best ones ranked, The Little Things, Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max. 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One of our top picks, unfortunately, is an outlier in this sudden accessibility of Ghibli movies. If you’re new to the riches of the Japanese animation studio, our guide can help you sort through its … Ponyo's evolution feels delicate, powerful and completely manic. The themes are complex. He returns to his family and his routine, and Kaguya returns to her home, and the strict rules that bind her. HBO Max has a full catalog of Ghibli to dive into, and for anyone going in blind, it can be a little hard to decide which one to watch first. These films have conflict built into them -- Kiki, for instance, deals with losing and rediscovering identity -- but the conflict isn't all these movies are about. And it's the only Ghibli film to win an Oscar for best animated feature. And most of the collection wasn’t available on any streaming service: until HBO Max. It didn't matter. Stream the Studio Ghibli collection on HBO Max, This story has been shared 3,712 times. With HBO Max and Netflix now streaming (almost) every Studio Ghibli film, CNET ranks the animation studio's very best to watch first. I remember moments that linger with no explanation. on Netflix, A Short and Sweet Documentary About the Lives of Two Incredible Women and the Families They Made, '101 Dalmatians' Saved Disney 60 Years Ago by Delivering Glamour on a Dime, Phil Lord and Chris Miller's 'The Mitchells vs. Back in October of 2019, Koji Hoshino, chairman of Studio Ghibli, spoke to Variety about bringing the studio's timeless library of films to HBO Max. Designers and builders may tell themselves they just want to build beautiful things, but technology created in the shadow of war is never neutral, and progress and destruction are sadly intertwined. The survival of the world from a god-like weapon doesn't fall on Kiki's shoulders like it does Nausicaa's. The breathless adventure is a joy to watch. Late in the film, Ashitaka's steed -- a red elk named Yakurru -- takes an arrow to the thigh. The rules of this world don't make sense. She meets a living scarecrow with a turnip for a head, who bobs up and down like a pogo stick and leads her to Howl's enchanted home, where she ends up working as his housekeeper and cook. The amazing world of Studio Ghibli: HBO Max (From $15/month at HBO Max) The magic of animation . Studio Ghibli Japanese option. 'Cobra Kai' Season 3 Watched by an Estimated 41 Million Households, Netflix Claims, 'Cobra Kai' Creators On The Future Of The Series: "Season 4 is Not the Conclusion of the 'Cobra Kai' Story", Who Plays Young Kreese in 'Cobra Kai'? 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As the kinetic Kiki grapples with growing up, this early Ghibli film quietly unfurls a coming-of-age story exploring the complexities of moving from childhood to adult independence. However, it's available elsewhere: The original Japanese-language version is on Hulu with English subtitles, and the English-language dub of the film is available to rent or buy in online stores like the Apple TV app. In this, his last movie, Takahata returns to a beginning. Meet Scene-Stealer Barrett Carnahan, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Netflix Afterparty' Features Plenty Of Bits About Netflix But Not Much Else, 'Bridgerton' Fans Point Out Some Modern Mistakes in the Regency Era Series. Early in Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka -- a prince banished from his village and cursed by a demon -- walks through a magical forest. HBO Max has a small, but growing, list of original movies and TV shows that are exclusively found on the streaming service. The amazing world of Studio Ghibli: HBO Max (From $15/month at HBO Max) The magic of animation Scooped up in his hands, Ponyo slurps a drop of blood from a nick on his finger. 'Southern Charm' Recap: Is Kathryn Dennis Pregnant Again? It's also Studio Ghibli's most commercially successful film, still holding the record for Japan's highest grossing movie ever, nearly two decades after it debuted. It's a brief moment that communicates so much: Yakurru follows his master, who struggles to save the forest despite his own bullet wound; Ashitaka slows to run alongside the animal meant to carry him. 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