10 Great Animated Films You Might Mistake for Studio Ghibli

With their whimsical worlds and breathtaking storytelling, Ghibli set the golden standard for animated films. But you should know, not every enchanting animation comes from the legendary studio.

I’ll spotlight some fantastic movies that are not made by Studio Ghibli, but could easily be mistaken as the Japanese powerhouse’s work.

10

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time follows high schooler Makoto, who stumbles upon a walnut-shaped device that allows her to travel back in time. Makoto is always rushing through high school to reach the next stage, a similar quality of many Studio Ghibli characters.

Based on the 1967 hit novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the animated flick aimed to spread a message of its own: “Time waits for no one”, which bears resemblance to Ghibli’s own creations like Howl’s Moving Castle.

Animation-wise, you’re right on the money if you figured Ghibli had inspired The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It comes as no surprise, considering that the film’s director Mamoru Hosoda used to work for Miyazaki before establishing his own studio.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

When Makoto discovers she can travel back in time, she’s not prepared to face the consequences of her actions.

9

Wolf Children

Wolf Children follows Hana, who meets the love of her life, the Wolf Man; curiously, he turns out to be a half-wolf living among humanity in secret. As the title implies, their meeting is just the beginning of birthing a new species: wolf children. Eventually, Hana has to not only raise their half-species kids on her own, but also deal with their chosen paths as they grow up.

Ghibli’s mastery of basking in silence plays into the Wolf Children’s storytelling technique, even if it does have a faster pace than most of the studio’s iconic pieces.

Wolf Children

Hana lost the love of her life too early, as she’s left to raise and care for their half-wolf children alone.

8

The Garden of Words

What happens when a striving shoemaker in high school meets a teacher suffering from post-breakup depression? Their fateful encounter turns into something more worth connecting to in this bizarre world of coincidences.

Funnily enough, while the story focuses on their relationship and learning to start over again, The Garden of Words is most known for its scrumptious display of Japanese food. Plus, from raindrops to the swaying of trees with the wind, the scenery’s magnificent movement adds to that particular Ghibli element that led to their success: the appreciation of nature.

The Garden of Words

In which a student who dreams of becoming a shoemaker has a fateful encounter with a teacher dealing with her breakup. Together, they embark on a new connection in the garden where they met.

7

In This Corner of the World

This period piece by Sunao Katabuchi explores the life of the ever-resilient and positive Suzu, who gets married to a man she barely knows during the days of World War II in Hiroshima. Based on the manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno, the 18-year-old Suzu navigates her life growing up in Japan as one of the many civilians living in times of war.

Its Ghibli counterpart? In This Corner of the World explores the other, somewhat brighter side of the coin that The Grave of the Fireflies depicted with its devastating Hiroshima story.

In This Corner of the World

Follow the journey of the young Suzu, a kind-hearted girl who must move to a new town in Hiroshima after marrying a man she just met, Shusaku Hojo.

6

Mirai

Another unforgettable Studio Chizu creation is Mirai, in which we follow four-year-old Kun as he contemplates becoming the older brother that his sister, Mirai, needs in the family.

Needless to say, the adventure fantasy comedy Mirai speaks closest to Ghibli’s very own Ponyo, specifically emulating the theme of children grasping family dynamics. In Mirai’s case, Kun has to learn that his sister needs more care and attention upon being born, and that he, too, will eventually lead his sister as she grows up beside him.

Mirai

What happens when four-year-old Kun meets the future version of his baby sister?

5

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Kiki’s Delivery Service isn’t the only witch around. This movie revolves around young Mary, who follows a cat into the forest, only to discover an old magical broomstick and a rare plant, the Fly-by-Night that blossoms every seven years.

Based on the 1971 children’s book, The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, the mysterious specimen whisks Mary away to a witch boarding school called Endor, where she essentially has to fake being a real witch to accomplish amazing things.

Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who created Studio Ponoc, worked at Ghibli before setting out on his own. Mary and the Witch’s Flower was Ponoc’s debut feature.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary has to fake it until she makes it in Endor, the College for Witches.

4

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is reminiscent of Ghibli’s fantasy stories, particularly around the idea of found families.

In this case, the titular Maquia, who has just escaped a violent tribe that attacked her kind, finds an abandoned baby on her journey and decides to take in the child to raise as her son. The child, later named Ariel, awakens Maquia to motherhood, despite having zero experience with children and anything that had to do with humanity’s love.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Maquia, a part of the immortal species called lorph, decides to adopt a human child to raise as her own. Through him, she learns the true meaning of motherhood.

3

Flavors of Youth

Flavors of Youth is a collaboration between the Chinese studio Haoliners (Link Click) and the Japanese studio CoMix Wave Films (Your Name), that tells the stories of what it means to be young.

From the steam of hometown noodles to the celebration of their milestones, the three protagonists share their tales of how they spent their former days. The film captures what it’s like to grow up as a student or a model in Japan, and it will make you feel wonderfully nostalgic, even if those are lives nothing like your own.

Flavors of Youth

Watch this three-part anthology of how each character lived through their youth.

2

A Whisker Away

The story of A Whisker Away centers on Miyo Sasaki, who buys a cursed cat mask at a festival that magically transforms her into a feline form just to get close to her crush, Kento Hinode. But when she gets her heart broken after Hinode rejects her feelings, Miyo decides to live as a cat forever. The only catch? The longer Miyo spends time in her cat form, the more she forgets what it’s like to be human.

A Whisker Away is similar to Ghibli’s own gems, such as Whisper of the Heart, Arrietty, and most prominently The Cat Returns (and not just because of the obvious cat link).

A Whisker Away

Who knew turning into a cat meant Miyo could get closer to her crush, Hinode?

1

Belle

If you’re into musicals, Studio Ghibli’s otherworldly storytelling, and enjoy the tale of Beauty and the Beast, Studio Chizu’s Belle combines all three elements in modern times.

Suzu is a quiet high schooler named who dreams of singing in front of raging fans. Little does she know that her opportunity comes in the form of a virtual reality, where her alternate persona becomes a famous singer. There’s a problem, however, when Suzu discovers the virtual world’s Beast, who lives alone in a hidden castle.

Belle

An animated musical rendition of the French classic, Beauty and the Beast.

While nothing beats the enchanting Ghibli-like wonder of Hayao Miyazaki, these animated films show that many studios and creators have been inspired by the legendary studio’s passion. If you’re craving more Ghibli goodness, these hidden gems are the perfect place to start.

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