The greatest Studio Ghibli movies of all time, according to Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert isn’t just a critic, he is an icon. In the grand scheme of things, movie critics are pretty disliked in the world of Hollywood, with countless careers being thrown off by bad reviews that tarnish a legacy forever.
However, there are some whose reputation precedes them, we’re talking about the likes of the contemporary British journalist Mark Kermode, the iconic American critic Pauline Kael, and the most well-known of them all, Roger Ebert.
Working closely with fellow film critic Gene Siskel, Ebert created a vibrant legacy, with the American public heeding his every word when it came to the best and worst movies of the time. Of course, he was happy to pick out the best from time to time, but just take a daily scroll through your social media timeline and try to pretend that sometimes diving into the very worst depths of humanity isn’t a bit of fun to be had. Before the timelines existed, newspapers would be the go-to spot for such determined hate. Ebert, was rather good at giving us all something to enjoy.
Known for his fiery take on movies, Ebert once called the 1979 film Caligula “sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash,” adding, “If it is not the worst film I have ever seen, that makes it all the more shameful: People with talent allowed themselves to participate in this travesty.” It was a brutal takedown delivered with the bouncing joy of a toddler with a lollipop in their hair.
But, away from the movies that Ebert hated, the critic also loved a great number of classics. It was part of his charm that he truly adored movies in all forms. It didn;t matter if it was a cheesy action movie or a stoner comedy, if a picture gave the audience a thrill, Ebert was happy to appreciate it. The critic was also a man of finer taste and had a particular fondness for the films of Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki is responsible for some of the greatest animated movies of all time, with Ebert choosing three films of his as his definitive favourites.
The first of his favourites is the 1988 war drama Grave of the Fireflies, which tells the story of a young man and his sister attempting to survive in the chaos of Japan during the Second World War. Whilst Ghibli is known for its imaginative, family-friendly flicks, Grave of the Fireflies is quite a dark release, featuring visceral images of war and death, as well as an emotionally wrought heart.
In the very same year, My Neighbor Totoro, one of Studio Ghibli’s biggest critical and commercial hits, was released, the second of Ebert’s favourites. Following the story of two girls who move to the country to be near their ill mother and experience a bounty of magical creatures, the animation features voice work from the likes of Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning and Tim Daly.
The final Studio Ghibli movie that Ebert named as one of his all-time favourites is the 2001 classic Spirited Away, the first and only anime movie to have ever won an Academy Award. Another one of Ghibli’s more dark feature films, Spirited Away tells the story of a family who move to the suburbs and their 10-year-old girl daughter who mistakenly enters into a world of spirits, Gods, witches and more.
Ebert once named his favourite movies of all time, and although none of Ghibli’s movies make the cut, the list is full of classics from the likes of Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. Speaking about one of his picks, 1941’s Citizen Kane, Ebert stated: “Fifty years later, it is as fresh, as provoking, as entertaining, as funny, as sad, as brilliant as it ever was. Many agree it is the greatest film of all time. Those who differ cannot seem to agree on their candidate.”
Take a look at the full list of Ebert’s Ghibli favourites below.
Roger Ebert’s favourite Studio Ghibli movies
- Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988)
- My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
- Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
