Princess Mononoke, was my first, left quite an impression. That video at WAPO was lovely to see, thanks for sharing, Scott.

Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind. I saw it when I was ten years old and it blew my mind. I watched it a few years ago and the damn thing still holds up. Brilliant!

I recently made a dig at Pixar on another blog. In particular, I said that Pixar stories are too thought out, they reflect the committee that makes them, and above all, they don't try to rise to what is the most quintessential about their medium.

Sure, they are heartwarming and funny, and ironic enough for adults, but they seem tried and true as far as their stories go, and their animations overlook something about verisimilitude.

While their animations certainly excellent, Pixar can't match Miyazaki's capability to astonish you in stories that combine the mundane with the fantastic.

Castle in the Sky and The Castle of Cagliostro are probably my two favorites.

Actually, my favorite Ghibli flick, though, will always be "Whisper of the Heart" from Miyazaki's co-producer, Takahata. I don't think you'll ever find a more humane or moving look at what it truly means to be... alive.

I first saw Porco Rosso in elementary school. And it was either dubbed in chinese or the japanese version.. I couldn't understand the words, but everything else was so amazing. Not til several years later in highschool I realized it was a Miyazaki film. Have loved all his films... Porco Rosso is still my favorite, hilarious comedy and dog fights!! :D