Studio Ghibli watch order

Studio Ghibli movies in order, by release and rating. Updated October 20, 2026.

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 to watch the Studio Ghibli movies in order: the full guide

All 25 films and series in the Studio Ghibli franchise, in release order and in chronological (story) order. The first in release order is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984); the first in chronological order is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (set in A toxic jungle).

Release order

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Movie, 1984): Miyazaki's princess of a poisoned world, made at Topcraft just before Ghibli formed.
Castle in the Sky (Movie, 1986): Ghibli's first film: two orphans, sky pirates and a floating city.
My Neighbor Totoro (Movie, 1988): Two sisters in the countryside meet the forest spirit who became Ghibli's mascot.
Grave of the Fireflies (Movie, 1988): Takahata's war drama about two orphaned siblings after the bombing of Kobe.
Kiki's Delivery Service (Movie, 1989): A 13-year-old witch moves to a new city and starts a broomstick courier service.
Only Yesterday (Movie, 1991): Takahata's quiet drama of a Tokyo office worker remembering her childhood.
Porco Rosso (Movie, 1992): A pig-faced flying ace hunts air pirates over the Adriatic in 1929.
Ocean Waves (Movie, 1993): A TV film by Ghibli's younger staff about a high school love triangle in Kōchi.
Pom Poko (Movie, 1994): Shape-shifting raccoon dogs fight a Tokyo housing development.
Whisper of the Heart (Movie, 1995): A girl who wants to write meets a boy who makes violins, from Yoshifumi Kondō.
Princess Mononoke (Movie, 1997): A cursed prince caught between an iron town and the gods of the forest.
My Neighbors the Yamadas (Movie, 1999): Takahata's comic-strip sketches of one ordinary, squabbling family.
Spirited Away (Movie, 2001): A girl works in a bathhouse for spirits to save her parents; won the Oscar.
The Cat Returns (Movie, 2002): A spin-off of Whisper of the Heart: a girl is engaged to the prince of cats.
Howl's Moving Castle (Movie, 2004): A cursed young hatter finds refuge in a wizard's walking castle during a war.
Tales from Earthsea (Movie, 2006): Gorō Miyazaki's debut, loosely drawn from Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books.
Ponyo (Movie, 2008): A goldfish princess wants to become human for the boy who rescued her.
The Secret World of Arrietty (Movie, 2010): A family of tiny Borrowers under the floor, from Mary Norton's novel.
From Up on Poppy Hill (Movie, 2011): Gorō Miyazaki's 1963 Yokohama romance about saving a school clubhouse.
The Wind Rises (Movie, 2013): Miyazaki's fictionalised life of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Zero fighter.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Movie, 2013): Takahata's final film, a hand-drawn telling of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
When Marnie Was There (Movie, 2014): A lonely girl in Hokkaido befriends a mysterious girl from a marsh mansion.
The Red Turtle (Movie, 2016): A wordless castaway story from Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit.
Earwig and the Witch (Movie, 2020): Ghibli's first fully 3D CG film: an orphan outwits the witch who adopts her.
The Boy and the Heron (Movie, 2023): Miyazaki's return: a grieving boy follows a heron into another world; won the Oscar.

Chronological order

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (set in A toxic jungle): Miyazaki's princess of a poisoned world, made at Topcraft just before Ghibli formed.
Castle in the Sky (set in Laputa): Ghibli's first film: two orphans, sky pirates and a floating city.
My Neighbor Totoro (set in Rural Japan, 1950s): Two sisters in the countryside meet the forest spirit who became Ghibli's mascot.
Grave of the Fireflies (set in Kobe, 1945): Takahata's war drama about two orphaned siblings after the bombing of Kobe.
Kiki's Delivery Service (set in Koriko): A 13-year-old witch moves to a new city and starts a broomstick courier service.
Only Yesterday (set in Yamagata and memories of 1966): Takahata's quiet drama of a Tokyo office worker remembering her childhood.
Porco Rosso (set in The Adriatic, 1929): A pig-faced flying ace hunts air pirates over the Adriatic in 1929.
Ocean Waves (set in Kōchi): A TV film by Ghibli's younger staff about a high school love triangle in Kōchi.
Pom Poko (set in Tama Hills): Shape-shifting raccoon dogs fight a Tokyo housing development.
Whisper of the Heart (set in Tokyo suburbs): A girl who wants to write meets a boy who makes violins, from Yoshifumi Kondō.
Princess Mononoke (set in Muromachi Japan): A cursed prince caught between an iron town and the gods of the forest.
My Neighbors the Yamadas (set in A family's everyday life): Takahata's comic-strip sketches of one ordinary, squabbling family.
Spirited Away (set in The bathhouse): A girl works in a bathhouse for spirits to save her parents; won the Oscar.
The Cat Returns (set in The Cat Kingdom): A spin-off of Whisper of the Heart: a girl is engaged to the prince of cats.
Howl's Moving Castle (set in Ingary at war): A cursed young hatter finds refuge in a wizard's walking castle during a war.
Tales from Earthsea (set in Earthsea): Gorō Miyazaki's debut, loosely drawn from Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books.
Ponyo (set in A seaside town): A goldfish princess wants to become human for the boy who rescued her.
The Secret World of Arrietty (set in Under the floorboards): A family of tiny Borrowers under the floor, from Mary Norton's novel.
From Up on Poppy Hill (set in Yokohama, 1963): Gorō Miyazaki's 1963 Yokohama romance about saving a school clubhouse.
The Wind Rises (set in Jiro Horikoshi's planes): Miyazaki's fictionalised life of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Zero fighter.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (set in A girl from a bamboo stalk): Takahata's final film, a hand-drawn telling of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
When Marnie Was There (set in A marsh house in Hokkaido): A lonely girl in Hokkaido befriends a mysterious girl from a marsh mansion.
The Red Turtle (set in A desert island): A wordless castaway story from Dutch director Michaël Dudok de Wit.
Earwig and the Witch (set in A witch's house): Ghibli's first fully 3D CG film: an orphan outwits the witch who adopts her.
The Boy and the Heron (set in A tower and another world): Miyazaki's return: a grieving boy follows a heron into another world; won the Oscar.

Common questions

What order should I watch the Studio Ghibli movies in?

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).