Favourite Ghibli film and why?

There's a poll above. The question's self-explanatory. Let's get down to it!

(For the purposes of this poll, I'm being strict with the definition of a Ghibli film, so Nausicaa and Cagliostro unfortunately don't cut it.)

Nausicaa really should be included anyway, but eh, not my favorite so I won't gripe. I'm assuming I can vote for my favorites since the option's there.

Porco Rosso
This movie is a lot of fun. Like, loads of fun. Great characters and setting - pilots and pirates in the early days of fascist Italy. It's kind of like watching Casablanca with an animated pig instead of Humphrey Bogart. And talk about a beautiful movie. Every frame of it is gorgeous. Mostly it doesn't take itself too seriously and is a straightforward adventure drama, but there are little things here and there that add a surprising depth to it. This is one I'd recommend to people since I think it's one of the most accessible and likable.

Whisper of the Heart
I can really relate to Shizuku (the main girl) and her struggle to write her story and deal with her confidence issues. Really, everything she went through - feeling her parents didn't understand her, her awe and wonder upon entering the shop and seeing the statue of the baron - was something I've felt and it just made the movie really human and down-to-earth. I love all the little side stories that all weave together. It's just a sweet movie.

I haven't seen enough of them to really vote on this poll but I adore both Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies, the latter is probably my favourite so far.

I have not watched all films in the list, but maybe my favorite is Spirited Away. I like the storyline of this film, which is mysterious and flowing smootly, and coupled with good background music and character.

Went and watched Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Kiki's Delivery Service a few days ago, adored Kiki and liked the other, I wish I watched Kiki's Delivery Service as a little kid as i'm sure i'd have loved it more than spirited away.

Well the only ones I have seen were Spirited Away and Ponyo (Last week) and I found both to be pretty good. I'm planning to watch all the Ghibli films soon so I'll update this post. But as for right now, Ponyo is my favorite.

I realised after seeing this that I've only seen Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. So you inspired me to make it a target to watch all of them! But out of those three, my favourite so far is Kiki.

Might as well do mine:

Spirited Away is one of my favourite films ever. Its moral ambiguity towards pretty much every character is a cinematic feat generally unexplored in animation (speaking of, the animation is really, really good) and whenever I watch it, I get enveloped by the epic nature of script and direction the way the best films do.

Yet, a part of me also like the almost polar opposite, small-scale adventure in The Cat Returns. I'll be the first to admit that it has problems on both the narrative, animation and character design level... and yet I'll always watch all of it if it comes on TV. I like the interactions between all the characters and, personally, that goes a long way personally.

I really love Kiki, Cat Returns, but my all time favorite is Princesss Mononoke!!!! It's a wonderful movie.

After seeing Grave of the Fireflies today I am pretty certain nothing is going to beat it. It's the first film that's brought me to tears since about two years ago.

Whisper of the Heart was great as well, although a bit slow to start I ended up loving it by the end.

I thought that Spirited Away was the most visually stunning and had the best soundtrack.

I loved Ponyo, too, because it was insanely creative and I loved the bright, colorful aesthetic. Also, fishes! :D

Howling's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. They were both great but I have yet to watch more Ghibli films.

Granted, I haven't seen all of those movies... But my favorite of the ones I have seen is defiantly Kiki's Delivery Service. I love the songs from the dub, and the whole flying thing.

In rank order: Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, and Ponyo. Howl's Moving Castle is at the top because I just loved how it played out, even more so than Spirited Away.

Well if you were counting Nausicaa I would say that's my absolute favorite, but since you're not I would go with either Castle in the Sky or Princess Mononoke. I really don't remember why I liked those two the most since it has been about two years since I've seen any of them. Although I remember there being a lot of adventure. Not to mention I found the characters to be really appealing to me.

I can understand not having Castle of Cagliostro on the list, but Nausicaa really should be there. The team that made Nausicaa pretty much became Studio Ghibli for that very reason, and Ghibli owns the movie and considers it its first film now.

But even if Nausicaa were on the list I would have still picked Princess Mononoke. This is partially because it contains several of the most (including the single most) dazzling animated sights I have ever seen. The one in particular that really stuck with me was the way that the Forest Spirit walks. It was impressive how all the flowers and other plants grow up around its feet when it takes a step, but what really had me astounded was how all those plants wither and die when it lifts its foot again. In one masterfully animated stroke, Miyazaki both pleases the eyes and sums up the entire idea behind the Forest Spirit, which is that it's the god of both life and death; it is life itself. There are few directors who can show and tell so much with one little shot.

Aside from that, I think in Princess Mononoke Miyazaki handled his overall message with the most maturity and poignancy. I don't think this is just because it's made for older viewers. Nausicaa was addressed at about the same demographic, but its ideas and philosophy are naive by comparison. It's easy for a movie to say "Humans bad! Nature good!" but it takes more guts and more finesse to remind the viewer that humans have some legitimate needs at the expense of nature, and that nature at its core is more ruthless than cuddly. Both sides of the environmental struggle in Princess Mononoke appear at times equally noble and at times equally intolerant/short-sighted.

They can't get to releasing PM on blu-ray fast enough. I will be all over that like giant wolves on an injured human. ;D

Kiki's Delivery Service
I don't know what it was about this film, but I loved it. I've seen it three times, which is something that few other films have accomplished. Perhaps it's the wonderful scenery, or the lighthearted characters, or the feel-good story that just reeked of innocence and fun. Or, maybe, it's just the magic. I like magic.

Spirited Away
This film really needs no explanation. It's a fairy tale, of the highest degree. It's mystical, interesting, and... well, the world that Miyazaki paints is a fascinating one. Even the brief glimpse is enough to make me hungry for more.