5 Best Anime Movies like Studio Ghibli

5 Recommended Anime Movies If You Like Studio Ghibli

San from Princess Mononoke

There are a great number of worldly-known anime that are made in Japan today. Many people all over the world associate Japanese anime with the famous Studio Ghibli movies such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro. You may have grown up with the Studio Ghibli anime movies.

Here are several recommendations apart from Ghibli movies for fans of Studio Ghibli anime. Today, I would like to introduce 5 best anime movies that have the world similar to Studio Ghibli.

1. Mary And The Witch’s Flower

Mary And The Witch’s Flower (メアリと魔女の花), released in 2017, is a highly-recommended anime film if you love Studio Ghibli movies. The fantasy anime is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi as a member of Studio Ponoc, who worked in Studio Ghibli and directed two films: The Secret World of Arrietty and When Marnie Was There.

Mary And The Witch’s Flower follows a young red-haired girl Mary, who takes a wander into the witches’ country as a witch for only one night. You can see many scenes that are inspired by some Studio Ghibli movies in this anime.

Mary And The Witch’s Flower is especially recommended to watch if you like Kiki’s Delivery Service/The Secret World of Arrietty/When Marnie Was There.

2. Wolf Children

Mamoru Hosoda, one of the top Japanese anime directors as well as the famous Hayao Miyazaki, has directed several renowned anime movies ever. For Studio Ghibli fans, Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪), released in 2012, is a must-watch anime movie directed by him.

Wolf Children is set in Tokyo and a Japanese countryside in Toyama Prefecture. It focuses on the main character Hana and her two children Yuki and Ame who can change their forms into wolf and get back into human.

Wolf Children is especially recommended to watch if you like Princess Mononoke/My Neighbor Totoro.

3. The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast (バケモノの子) is also a recommended anime directed by Mamoru Hosoda in Studio Chizu for Studio Ghibli lovers. The action and adventure anime movie was released in 2015.

The setting of The Boy and the Beast is Shibuya in Tokyo and another world called the Beast Kingdom. A 9-old-year boy Ren, who is separated from his father for his parents’ divorce and loses his mother for an accident. His grown-up story is depicted after he meets a beast named Kumatetsu.

The Boy and the Beast is especially recommended to watch if you like Porco Rosso/Spirited Away/Howl’s Moving Castle.

4. Weathering with You

If you like the Studio Ghibli movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki, you should watch the anime made by Makoto Shinkai. Weathering with You (天気の子), released after the popular Your Name, has been a hit in about 140 countries and regions.

Weathering with You follows a high schooler Hodaka Morishima, who flies from his home in a remote island to Tokyo. He meets a girl named Hina Amano who are granted an extraordinary ability to make the weather sunny. You can enjoy the pure story and beautiful scenery in Weathering with You that are familiar with Studio Ghibli fans.

Weathering with You is especially recommended to watch if you like Spirited Away/Castle in the Sky/Whisper of the Heart.

5. Penguin Highway

Penguin Highway (ペンギン・ハイウェイ) is a modern anime that has the world similar to Studio Ghibli movies. It is known as a popular novel written by Tomihiko Morimi in 2010 and its anime movie adaption was released in 2018.

Penguin Highway centers on a young boy called Aoyama who finds penguins suddenly emerge in the town. He makes a venture into the whole town to investigate where the penguins comes with a mysterious woman Lady.

Penguin Highway is especially recommended to watch if you like My Neighbor Totoro/Ponyo.

If you are a big fan of Studio Ghibli, you have already watched all of the famous Ghibli movies, haven’t you. Check if this best Studio Ghibli movies list includes your favorite anime.

Check out the new large Ghibli-themed facility Ghibli Park opening in November, 2022, too!

For those who like Studio Ghibli anime films, these articles are also recommended to read!

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I'm writing by my motto: helping travelers spend their limited time experiencing something priceless in Japan. My articles won't let you down! Living in Tokyo and traveling many popular and hidden sites all over Japan, I deliver well-selected and latest tourist information to you from the perspective of “100% Japanese local”. My specific interests are island hopping, eating countless bowls of ramen, watching anime and reading manga. Enjoy Japan Web Magazine for recommended food spots, hidden gems Japanese Otaku (geek) culture, and everything about Japan :)