Since 1985, the well known Studio Ghibli has been producing a large amount of famous animated movies and some of them are real artistic masterpieces that everyone should see at least once in their life.
Even though they are all worth watching, I particularly recommend Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
Princess Mononoke is a 1997 japanese animated fantasy movie written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli.
If you like supernatural films, this movie is definitely appropriate for your tastes and won’t let you down! In fact; Mononoke is the princess of all shape-shifting beings and she is involved in an adventure featuring a young boy from a village who happens to be searching for a remedy that will cure the curse which is slowly killing him. The two of them end up eventually bumping in each other and start to work together for the sake of the forest which is being destroyed by human activity causing the wrath of its sacred spirits to rise.
What’s good about this movie is not only its unpredictable plot but also the visual impact of the well-drawn animation and the beautiful soundtrack.
Also, this movie can be seen in many different layers and you’ll end up rewatching it over and over again and always find new elements and new meaning behind every scene!
The same thing goes for another Studio Ghibli masterpiece: Spirited Away.
Spirited Away is even more well-known than Princess Mononoke becoming the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $347 million worldwide.
The film tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who, she moves to a new city, enters the world of Kami ( spirits and gods). Her parents end up being turned into pigs by the evil witch Yubaba.
The little girl is forced to work in Yubaba’s bath house to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.
This movie became famous also thanks to its main theme “One Summer’s Day” and its astonishing animation! Like Princess Mononoke you’ll think you are watching a moving painting all the time, it’s so well made that you’ll feel like you can start drawing or visiting Japan right after!
To sum up, both films are absolutely worth watching but if you are sensitive to blood and violence I would probably recommend Spirited Away instead of Princess Mononoke but I assure that you won’t be wasting your time!
Viola Ardovini 4C cl
