If you are a fan of anime, then Studio Ghibli should be a familiar studio to you. It is a Japanese animation film studio that was founded around mid-1985. Studio Ghibli is widely known for its animated feature films, and even short feature films. As one of the biggest animation studios and producers in the world, they also make TV commercials, and you might also be surprised to learn that they collaborate with some video game studios, for visual development of video games. To give you an even clearer picture, six of Studio Ghibli’s films are also in the top 10 of the best anime movies produced in Japan.

Top 5 films from Studio Ghibli

Today, Studio Ghibli has produced over 23 films, and before we show you how you can watch them online and offline, we will give you a list of the top 5 films from this studio.

Ghibli
  • 1. My Neighbor Totoro
  • Although this film was released back in 1988, it still remains the best Studio Ghibli film. The story involves two young girls and their father, who move into an old house closer to the hospital where the girls' mother recovers from a long-term illness. We will not give you any more spoilers, and we will simply recommend you to watch it.

  • 2. Princess Mononoke
  • Second on the list is a film released in 1997. The film is set in the 13th century Japan, and it depicts the struggle between the animal gods who protect the forest and the humans who want to cut it down to mine iron. A prince called Ashitaka (who is cursed to die) is caught between the crossfire. This film is action-packed and graphic.

  • 3. Spirited Away
  • Released in 2001, this movie ranks third. The story is enchanting and bewildering, and it depicts a young girl who passes through to another world full of gods, monsters and magic. It is is a story of about the natural wonders and the fantastical monsters that inhibit it.

  • 4. Howl's Moving Castle
  • This film was released in 2004, and the setting depicts a young milliner who gets cursed by a witch and turns into an old woman, consequently forcing her to move to the countryside in search of a cure. It is set against the backdrop of a futile war fought using 20th century technology and magic.

  • 5. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  • This is the fifth film which makes it in the top five of Studio Ghibli films. This film is experimental, and the producer mixed the Tale of the Bamboo cutter and the Princess from the moon to make something unique. It runs for over 2 hours and we think you will enjoy it.

    Some of the iconic Studio Ghibli characters include Big Totoro, Princess Kaguya, Seita and Stesuko, Moro, Yubaba, Susuwatari and much more. We will now show you how and where to watch Studio Ghibli movies.

    Method 1: Watch Studio Ghibli films on Netflix

    Starting on February 1st 2020, Netflix announced that 21 films from Studio Ghibli would be made available on their service globally. The expansive catalogue of Studio Ghibli films would be dubbed in 20 languages and subtitled in 28 languages, which happened for the first time since the original launch. By the first of April, all of the films were available on Netflix, and they are available for streaming today. If you want to watch the films on Netflix, the process is quite easy and we will show you how to do so.

    Step 1: If you do not have a Netflix account, you first need to sign up for one. Visit the Netflix website and sign up.

    Step 2: Choose your plan. Netflix has 3 plans (basic, standard and premium) with premium being the most expensive one at $15.99 per month, and the basic tier starting at $8.99. More details will be available for you when you choose the plan.

    Step 3: Enter your email address, create a password and enter the payment credentials accordingly. The first month is available free of charge.

    Step 4: Login to your account, then search for the content you want to watch and enjoy.

    Method 2: Watch Studio Ghibli films on HBO Max

    HBO Max is another popular streaming service that is in direct competition with Netflix. It is available across all platforms, and they have mobile apps if you want to stream from your mobile device. 22 of Studio Ghibli films made it to HBO Max sometime in March 2020, which is around the same time they came to Netflix. To watch them from HBO Max, you need to sign up for an account. Here are more detailed steps.

    Step 1: Sign up for HBO Max. Visit their website and enter your personal details, as well as banking details. When you sign up, you get 7 days free.

    Step 2: Login to your account and search for the content you want to watch and enjoy!

    Note: HBO Max has only 1 tier, priced at $14.99

    Method 3: Watch Grave of the Fireflies on Hulu

    Hulu is another major competitor to HBO Max and Netflix, which has been around for quite a while. If you want to watch Studio Ghibli movies on Hulu, you will have to sign up for a Hulu account that is bundled with HBO Max, because at the moment Studio Ghibli films are not available on Hulu. If you want to sign up for Hulu with HBO Max, visit the HBO website and choose the option. The steps for signing up are the same as the ones shown above.

    Method 4: Buy Studio Ghibli DVDs & Blu-ray Discs

    Today, online movie streaming (through services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu) is fast outpacing the traditional physical media like DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. However the internet is not always cheap nor fast in many regions of the world, and some people have very limited connections. More so, streaming online is not free, although you are offered a 7 day or even 1 month free trial from most of the services. Streaming services are also not available in all regions, and the availability of content might differ from place to place. For these reasons, you can still enjoy the best studio Ghibli Movies on DVD or Blu-ray.

    For all your DVD and Blu-ray playback needs, we would recommend Leawo Blu-ray Player, which is a free 4K movie player that is available on Windows and macOS. Some Blu-ray and DVD discs are region specific, which means you can only play on authorized players. The good news is Leawo Blu-ray Player is an all region player, as it supports Blu-ray Discs, folders and associated file formats from the regions A, B or C, and DVD discs from regions 0 to 6 (such as playing region A Blu-ray in Europe).

    • Leawo Blu-ray Player
    • Leawo Blu-ray Player

      Region-free Blu-ray player software to play Blu-ray disc and DVD disc for free, regardless of disc protection and region restriction.
      Play 4K FLV videos, 4K MKV videos, 4K MP4 videos, etc. without quality loss.
      Play 1080P videos, 720P videos with lossless quality.

    Download this free software and follow the easy steps below on how to use it to watch your studio Ghibli collection.

    Step 1: Load the Blu-ray Disc, ISO or folder

    After you launch Leawo Blu-ray Player, click the green Open File button to browse and load video(s), audio(s) or ISO image file(s) for playback. To play Blu-ray/DVD disc(s), insert the corresponding disc into the disc drive, then click the disc name on the home interface to start playing. You should see your Studio Ghibli movies listed on the playlist.

    blu-ray-player

    Step 2: Set the Studio Ghibli Blu-ray movie subtitles

    After loading your movie, the software should automatically begin the playback. During playback, move your mouse to the Title Area. From the 4 available options, click the Subtitles icon. You can enable, disable, select or import subtitles.

    subtitle

    Step 3: Adjust the video settings

    Move your mouse over to the top left corner, or right click on the main interface and choose the Videos option to enter the Video-Settings panel. The video adjustment options include video cropping, post-processing, view mode, zooming etc.

    video-settings

    Step 4: Adjust the audio settings

    Move your mouse over to the top left corner, or right click on the main interface and select the Audios option to enter the Audio-Settings panel. The audio adjustment options include audio volume, amplification, offset, stream, output, output device, etc.

    audio-settings

    Step 5: Enjoy the movie in the end

    enjoy-the-movie