Watch order guide · Studio Ghibli

How to watch the Studio Ghibli movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 17 min read · 25 titles · 44 hours

Studio Ghibli films are all standalone, so watch them in release order, from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986) through My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away to The Boy and the Heron (2023). The Cat Returns is a loose spin-off of Whisper of the Heart.

Titles
25
Films
25
Watch time
44 hours
Box office
$1.91 billion
Avg IMDb
7.5
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Studio Ghibli movies in release order

Here is every Studio Ghibli title in the order it came out, 1984 to 2023: 25 films.

#TitleYearTypeRuntimeIMDb
1Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind1984Film1h 35m8
2Castle in the Sky1986Film2h 5m8
3My Neighbor Totoro1988Film1h 26m8.1
4Grave of the Fireflies1988Film1h 29m8.5
5Kiki's Delivery Service1989Film1h 43m7.8
6Only Yesterday1991Film1h 59m7.6
7Porco Rosso1992Film1h 33m7.7
8Ocean Waves1993Film1h 12m6.6
9Pom Poko1994Film1h 59m7.2
10Whisper of the Heart1995Film1h 51m7.8
11Princess Mononoke1997Film2h 14m8.3
12My Neighbors the Yamadas1999Film1h 44m7.1
13Spirited Away2001Film2h 5m8.6
14The Cat Returns2002Film1h 15m7.1
15Howl's Moving Castle2004Film1h 59m8.2
16Tales from Earthsea2006Film1h 56m6.3
17Ponyo2008Film1h 40m7.6
18The Secret World of Arrietty2010Film1h 35m7.6
19From Up on Poppy Hill2011Film1h 31m7.4
20The Wind Rises2013Film2h 6m7.8
21The Tale of the Princess Kaguya2013Film2h 17m8
22When Marnie Was There2014Film1h 43m7.6
23The Red Turtle2016Film1h 21m7.5
24Earwig and the Witch2020Film1h 23m4.7
25The Boy and the Heron2023Film2h 4m7.3

Release or chronological: which order is best?

For Studio Ghibli, release order and story order are the same thing: every film picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.

Where to start

Brand new to it

Start with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and go in release order.

Short on time

The whole thing is 44 hours. At two hours a night that is about 22 evenings.

Only the best

The three highest rated: Spirited Away (8.6), Grave of the Fireflies (8.5), and Princess Mononoke (8.3).

Every Studio Ghibli movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind poster

No. 01 · 1984 · Film · 1h 35m

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Why it matters: Miyazaki's princess of a poisoned world, made at Topcraft just before Ghibli formed.

Box office
$9 million on a $1 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
Castle in the Sky poster

No. 02 · 1986 · Film · 2h 5m

Castle in the Sky

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

Why it matters: Ghibli's first film: two orphans, sky pirates and a floating city.

Box office
$5 million on a $3 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8 · Rotten Tomatoes 97%
My Neighbor Totoro poster

No. 03 · 1988 · Film · 1h 26m

My Neighbor Totoro

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

Why it matters: Two sisters in the countryside meet the forest spirit who became Ghibli's mascot.

Box office
$41 million on a $4 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Grave of the Fireflies poster

No. 04 · 1988 · Film · 1h 29m

Grave of the Fireflies

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

Why it matters: Takahata's war drama about two orphaned siblings after the bombing of Kobe.

Box office
$1 million on a $4 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
Kiki's Delivery Service poster

No. 05 · 1989 · Film · 1h 43m

Kiki's Delivery Service

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Why it matters: A 13-year-old witch moves to a new city and starts a broomstick courier service.

Box office
$4 million on a $7 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.8
Only Yesterday poster

No. 06 · 1991 · Film · 1h 59m

Only Yesterday

In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

Why it matters: Takahata's quiet drama of a Tokyo office worker remembering her childhood.

Box office
$0 million
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
Porco Rosso poster

No. 07 · 1992 · Film · 1h 33m

Porco Rosso

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

Why it matters: A pig-faced flying ace hunts air pirates over the Adriatic in 1929.

Box office
$45 million on a $9 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%
Ocean Waves poster

No. 08 · 1993 · Film · 1h 12m

Ocean Waves

At Kichijōji Station, Tokyo, Taku Morisaki glimpses a familiar woman on the platform opposite boarding a train. Later, her photo falls from a shelf as he exits his apartment before flying to Kōchi Prefecture. Picking it up, he looks at it briefly before leaving. As the aeroplane takes off, he narrates the events that brought her into his life...

Why it matters: A TV film by Ghibli's younger staff about a high school love triangle in Kōchi.

Director
Tomomi Mochizuki
Scores
IMDb 6.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Pom Poko poster

No. 09 · 1994 · Film · 1h 59m

Pom Poko

The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and fight back. The Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are even able to appear as humans in hilarious circumstances.

Why it matters: Shape-shifting raccoon dogs fight a Tokyo housing development.

Box office
$44 million
Scores
IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
Whisper of the Heart poster

No. 10 · 1995 · Film · 1h 51m

Whisper of the Heart

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."

Why it matters: A girl who wants to write meets a boy who makes violins, from Yoshifumi Kondō.

Director
Yoshifumi Kondo
Scores
IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%
Princess Mononoke poster

No. 11 · 1997 · Film · 2h 14m

Princess Mononoke

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

Why it matters: A cursed prince caught between an iron town and the gods of the forest.

Box office
$231 million on a $20 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
My Neighbors the Yamadas poster

No. 12 · 1999 · Film · 1h 44m

My Neighbors the Yamadas

The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.

Why it matters: Takahata's comic-strip sketches of one ordinary, squabbling family.

Box office
$12 million on a $15 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%
Spirited Away poster

No. 13 · 2001 · Film · 2h 5m

Spirited Away

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

Why it matters: A girl works in a bathhouse for spirits to save her parents; won the Oscar.

Box office
$275 million on a $19 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%
The Cat Returns poster

No. 14 · 2002 · Film · 1h 15m

The Cat Returns

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Why it matters: A spin-off of Whisper of the Heart: a girl is engaged to the prince of cats.

Director
Hiroyuki Morita
Box office
$54 million
Scores
IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
Howl's Moving Castle poster

No. 15 · 2004 · Film · 1h 59m

Howl's Moving Castle

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Why it matters: A cursed young hatter finds refuge in a wizard's walking castle during a war.

Box office
$236 million on a $24 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
Tales from Earthsea poster

No. 16 · 2006 · Film · 1h 56m

Tales from Earthsea

As crops dwindle and dragons reappear, mankind stands on the verge of total chaos. Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, a powerful wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, search for the force behind this mysterious imbalance that threatens to destroy the land of Earthsea.

Why it matters: Gorō Miyazaki's debut, loosely drawn from Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books.

Box office
$69 million on a $22 million budget
Scores
IMDb 6.3
Ponyo poster

No. 17 · 2008 · Film · 1h 40m

Ponyo

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

Why it matters: A goldfish princess wants to become human for the boy who rescued her.

Box office
$202 million on a $34 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 91%
The Secret World of Arrietty poster

No. 18 · 2010 · Film · 1h 35m

The Secret World of Arrietty

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

Why it matters: A family of tiny Borrowers under the floor, from Mary Norton's novel.

Director
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Box office
$150 million on a $23 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%
From Up on Poppy Hill poster

No. 19 · 2011 · Film · 1h 31m

From Up on Poppy Hill

Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.

Why it matters: Gorō Miyazaki's 1963 Yokohama romance about saving a school clubhouse.

Box office
$61 million on a $22 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 87%
The Wind Rises poster

No. 20 · 2013 · Film · 2h 6m

The Wind Rises

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

Why it matters: Miyazaki's fictionalised life of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Zero fighter.

Box office
$118 million on a $30 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.8 · Rotten Tomatoes 88%
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya poster

No. 21 · 2013 · Film · 2h 17m

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

Why it matters: Takahata's final film, a hand-drawn telling of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Box office
$24 million on a $49 million budget
Scores
IMDb 8 · Rotten Tomatoes 100%
When Marnie Was There poster

No. 22 · 2014 · Film · 1h 43m

When Marnie Was There

Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.

Why it matters: A lonely girl in Hokkaido befriends a mysterious girl from a marsh mansion.

Director
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Box office
$35 million
Scores
IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 92%
The Red Turtle poster

No. 23 · 2016 · Film · 1h 21m

The Red Turtle

The dialogue-less film follows the major life stages of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by turtles, crabs and birds.

Why it matters: A wordless castaway story from Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit.

Director
Michael Dudok de Wit
Box office
$1 million
Scores
IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Earwig and the Witch poster

No. 24 · 2020 · Film · 1h 23m

Earwig and the Witch

A headstrong orphan discovers a world of spells and potions while living with a selfish witch.

Why it matters: Ghibli's first fully 3D CG film: an orphan outwits the witch who adopts her.

Box office
$1 million
Scores
IMDb 4.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 29%
The Boy and the Heron poster

No. 25 · 2023 · Film · 2h 4m

The Boy and the Heron

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

Why it matters: Miyazaki's return: a grieving boy follows a heron into another world; won the Oscar.

Box office
$296 million on a $50 million budget
Scores
IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 96%

Studio Ghibli box office and budgets

The 23 Studio Ghibli films with reported numbers have grossed $1.91 billion worldwide on about $336 million in combined budgets, roughly 5.3 times what they cost. The biggest is The Boy and the Heron at $296 million, 15% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Spirited Away ($275 million) and Howl's Moving Castle ($236 million).

Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Spirited Away, which made 14 times its $19 million budget. The weakest was Grave of the Fireflies at 23% of its $4 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.

Worldwide box office and production budget, top 20 filmsBox office Budget
  1. The Boy and the Heron 2023 $296M / $50M
  2. Spirited Away 2001 $275M / $19M
  3. Howl's Moving Castle 2004 $236M / $24M
  4. Princess Mononoke 1997 $231M / $20M
  5. Ponyo 2008 $202M / $34M
  6. The Secret World of Arrietty 2010 $150M / $23M
  7. The Wind Rises 2013 $118M / $30M
  8. Tales from Earthsea 2006 $69M / $22M
  9. From Up on Poppy Hill 2011 $61M / $22M
  10. The Cat Returns 2002 $54M
  11. Porco Rosso 1992 $45M / $9M
  12. Pom Poko 1994 $44M
  13. My Neighbor Totoro 1988 $41M / $4M
  14. When Marnie Was There 2014 $35M
  15. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya 2013 $24M / $49M
  16. My Neighbors the Yamadas 1999 $12M / $15M
  17. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 1984 $9M / $1M
  18. Castle in the Sky 1986 $5M / $3M
  19. Kiki's Delivery Service 1989 $4M / $7M
  20. The Red Turtle 2016 $1M

The best and worst rated Studio Ghibli movies

Across 25 rated titles, Studio Ghibli averages 7.5 on IMDb. The top of the list is Spirited Away at 8.6, then Grave of the Fireflies (8.5) and Princess Mononoke (8.3). At the bottom: Earwig and the Witch (4.7) and Tales from Earthsea (6.3). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, The Boy and the Heron, is only the 19th best rated.

IMDb score of every Studio Ghibli title, in release order (1984 to 2023)
456789 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984): 8Castle in the Sky (1986): 8My Neighbor Totoro (1988): 8.1Grave of the Fireflies (1988): 8.5Kiki's Delivery Service (1989): 7.8Only Yesterday (1991): 7.6Porco Rosso (1992): 7.7Ocean Waves (1993): 6.6Pom Poko (1994): 7.2Whisper of the Heart (1995): 7.8Princess Mononoke (1997): 8.3My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999): 7.1Spirited Away (2001): 8.6The Cat Returns (2002): 7.1Howl's Moving Castle (2004): 8.2Tales from Earthsea (2006): 6.3Ponyo (2008): 7.6The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): 7.6From Up on Poppy Hill (2011): 7.4The Wind Rises (2013): 7.8The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013): 8When Marnie Was There (2014): 7.6The Red Turtle (2016): 7.5Earwig and the Witch (2020): 4.7The Boy and the Heron (2023): 7.3 Spirited Away 8.6Earwig and the Witch 4.7
  1. Spirited Away8.6 · RT 96%
  2. Grave of the Fireflies8.5 · RT 100%
  3. Princess Mononoke8.3 · RT 93%
  4. Howl's Moving Castle8.2 · RT 88%
  5. My Neighbor Totoro8.1 · RT 94%
  6. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind8 · RT 87%
  7. Castle in the Sky8 · RT 97%
  8. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya8 · RT 100%
  9. Kiki's Delivery Service7.8
  10. Whisper of the Heart7.8 · RT 96%

Who appears in the most Studio Ghibli movies

Sumi Shimamoto leads with 4 appearances as Nausicaä and Yasuko Kusakabe, ahead of Keiko Takeshita (4) and Tsunehiko Kamijô (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

ActorRoleTitlesFirst and latest
Sumi ShimamotoNausicaä / Yasuko Kusakabe4Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to Princess Mononoke (1997)
Keiko TakeshitaSadako Maki / Hana Matsuzaki4The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) to The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Tsunehiko KamijôManmayuto no shachô / Gonza3Porco Rosso (1992) to Spirited Away (2001)
Yuriko IshidaKiyo / San3Pom Poko (1994) to From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Rumi HiiragiChihiro / Young Mother3Spirited Away (2001) to From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Takashi NaitoFather / Hazia Dealer3Spirited Away (2001) to From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Ryunosuke KamikiBoh / Markl3Spirited Away (2001) to The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
Yo OizumiBandai Frog / Japanese Teacher3Spirited Away (2001) to Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Jun FubukiTenar / Ryoko Matsuzaki3Tales from Earthsea (2006) to The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Shinobu OtakeHomily / Mrs. Kurokawa3The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) to The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Ichiro NagaiMito / Shogun Mouro2Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to Castle in the Sky (1986)
Yoji MatsudaAsbel / Ashitaka2Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) to Princess Mononoke (1997)

Studio Ghibli directors and creators

8 filmmakers have directed or created Studio Ghibli; Hayao Miyazaki has the most, with 11.

  • Hayao MiyazakiNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), The Wind Rises (2013), and The Boy and the Heron (2023)
  • Isao TakahataGrave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
  • Goro MiyazakiTales from Earthsea (2006), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), and Earwig and the Witch (2020)
  • Hiromasa YonebayashiThe Secret World of Arrietty (2010) and When Marnie Was There (2014)
  • Tomomi MochizukiOcean Waves (1993)
  • Yoshifumi KondoWhisper of the Heart (1995)
  • Hiroyuki MoritaThe Cat Returns (2002)
  • Michael Dudok de WitThe Red Turtle (2016)

How long it takes to watch every Studio Ghibli movie

All 25 titles add up to 44 hours. That is about 22 two-hour evenings, or 5 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is The Tale of the Princess Kaguya at 2h 17m.

Watch time by phase
  1. The '80s 8h 18m 5 titles
  2. The '90s 12h 32m 7 titles
  3. The 2000s 8h 55m 5 titles
  4. The 2010s 10h 33m 6 titles
  5. The 2020s 3h 27m 2 titles
A weekend

The 4 best rated films: Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle.

An hour a day

Everything takes about 7 weeks.

Before the next one

Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.

Common questions

What order should I watch the Studio Ghibli movies in?

Studio Ghibli films are all standalone, so watch them in release order, from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986) through My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away to The Boy and the Heron (2023). The Cat Returns is a loose spin-off of Whisper of the Heart.

How many Studio Ghibli movies and shows are there?

There are 25 titles in the Studio Ghibli franchise: 25 films and 0 series, released from 1984 to 2023.

How long does it take to watch all the Studio Ghibli movies?

About 44 hours for all 25 titles, counting every episode.

What is the first Studio Ghibli title in chronological order?

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, set in A toxic jungle. In release order the first is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984).

What is the best Studio Ghibli movie?

By IMDb score, Spirited Away (2001) at 8.6, followed by Grave of the Fireflies at 8.5.

What is the highest-grossing Studio Ghibli movie?

The Boy and the Heron (2023), with $296 million worldwide. Studio Ghibli films have made $1.91 billion in total.

Who has appeared in the most Studio Ghibli movies?

Sumi Shimamoto, in 4 of them as Nausicaä.

What is the longest Studio Ghibli movie?

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, at 2h 17m.

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