In the penultimate part of my 'watch and rank' Studio Ghibli mission, we have Hiromasa Yonebayashi's directorial debut in Arrietty followed by two films directed by Goro Miyazaki and his famous father Hayao Miyazaki respectively. The quality shows no signs of dipping in what is another thoroughly delightful set of films. Let's get started. Head on over to our articles index page if you want to read the series from the start.

Yonebayashi's directorial debut for Studio Ghibli (he also directed the recently released non-Ghibli film Mary and the Witch's Flower) is a film based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Arrietty is a young borrower who lives with her parents under the floorboards in the house of some 'beings' (the word that borrowers use to refer to their full-size counterparts). She ends up being spotted by 12 year old Shawn, who is one of the aforementioned 'beings'. Her family decides they must all move now that they have been seen, but Arrietty has other ideas...

Arrietty really surprised me, it's a film brimming with that Ghibli magic and a very strong debut from Yonebayashi. It's such a simple story and the way it portrays basic things so beautifully is reminiscent of the masterpiece My Neighbour Totoro, if somewhat less imaginative. The friendship at the film's core is truly heartwarming and Arrietty is yet another strong female protagonist, who is not only a super kind person (or borrower) but one that is strong-willed and inspirational to those around her. It is a film about friends and family, and about how sometimes we need someone to reach out and give us a little help. Another one that children would thoroughly enjoy, but one that I feel has a bit more for the adults than for example Ponyo.

8/10

After Goro Miyazaki's much-maligned Tales from Earthsea, which I still enjoyed, Goro had something to prove with his sophomore effort, and he very much delivered. From Up on Poppy Hill, which was scripted by Goro's father Hayao, tells the story of high school girl Umi Matzusaki who meets Shun, the leader of the fight to stop the school clubhouse being demolished for redevelopment. Umi's father died in the Korean war and she raises signal flags every morning for him, something she has done since his death.

From Up on Poppy Hill is a realistic drama film that tackles the idea of a country moving into the future while still remembering the past. It's a film steeped with Japanese tradition and an absolutely gorgeous one at that. I could look at that house on the hill with its flags waving all day, those light-green trees looking down on the calm sea creating a setting that just relaxes you straight away, it really is stunning. While tackling some pretty heavy topics such as losing family members to war this film manages to be one of the more light Ghibli films to watch and I feel like Goro really injected his own style into things here. The film sacrifices some emotional heft with the breezy feel it has, which at times makes some of the more emotional scenes seem a little inconsequential, but I thought this was good, simple story, well told.

7/10

Hayao Miyazaki is known for magical films with crazy ideas that burst with imagination such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. The Wind Rises is a somewhat more restrained, more grounded effort. It is a fictionalised biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero, a World War II fighter plane well ahead of its time.

Hayao Miyazaki seems incapable of making a film that is any less than 'great' and he's done it again here. This is definitely one of his less essential works but the way it fits 20 odd years into two hours of film is quite something. It's the story of a man honing his craft, being inspired by the world around him, and watching his creations get used for something he entirely disagrees with. The love story (which I believe is entirely fictional) doesn't feel tacked on at all and feels integral to the messages of the film, one of which was that even the greatest creation bares little importance when those you love are struggling.

8/10

Three more down and they all land pretty squarely in the middle of a rather brilliant set of films. Let's see where I'd rank them. New additions in bold italics.

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Spirited Away

6. Howl's Moving Castle

7. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

8. The Wind Rises

9. Arrietty

10. Whisper of the Heart

11. Only Yesterday

12. From Up on Poppy Hill

13. Porco Rosso

14. The Cat Returns

15. Ponyo

16. My Neighbours the Yamadas

17. Pom Poko

18. Tales from Earthsea

See you next time for the final two films in the Studio Ghibli canon: The Tale of Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There. Stay classy people.