10 Non-Studio Ghibli Movies To Watch If You Love Their Films

Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli revolutionized the world of animation with its wide range of fantasy films that boasted captivating visuals, surreal story concepts, and a heartwarming feeling of positivity that no other animation studio can replicate.

From classics like My Neighbor Totoro to lesser-known gems like Porco Rosso, the studio has created a cult fanbase and is seen as one of the most important cultural exports of Japan. The anime studio’s simple themes of love coupled with philosophical musings and magical realms resonate in several other recent fantasy films.

10 Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)

Travis Knight served as an animator for The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman, both of which were critically acclaimed as worthy animated films in a pantheon that’s otherwise dominated by Disney. Knight followed up this success with the stop-motion fantasy film Kubo and The Two Strings.

A mythical saga inspired by Japanese folklore, the film details the life of young Kubo, a boy who plays the stringed-instrument shamisen, who embarks on a journey to battle his evil power-hungry relatives. Nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects, it offers a lot to appreciate from the action scenes to its voice cast to even Regina Spektor’s meditative cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

9 The Little Prince (2015)

Even though the 1943 novella The Little Prince might come off as just a children’s book, it’s much more than that. The French classic delves into themes of loneliness, love, loss, and the futility of human life while using the ‘Prince’ as a metaphor. The stop-motion animated film adaptation preserves the essence of the book while making it more palatable for younger audiences. Benefiting from its visuals and philosophical elements, The Little Prince makes for an incredibly satisfying watch.

8 Pan’s Labyrinth (2007)

With its reliance on fairy tales, mythology, and a dark fantasy-driven plot, Pan’s Labyrinth can be easily compared to the Ghibli classic Spirited Away. Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language film is often considered his magnum opus—and rightfully so, given his masterful, visually-rich filmmaking that overcomes familiar horror and fantasy tropes.

In the 1940s, a young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) chances upon a labyrinth that functions as an alternate dimension of sorts. What follows is a roller-coaster of thrills and scares as she encounters magical creatures and completes Herculean tasks in the titular maze.

7 Song Of The Sea (2014)

Song Of The Sea is the second installment of Tomm Moore’s Irish folklore trilogy that culminated recently with the critically-acclaimed Wolfwalkers. Celtic and Norse goddesses and creatures are explored as a 10-year-old boy finds out the secret behind his sister’s ‘selkie’ abilities. For those unacquainted with Celtic mythology, a selkie is a creature that can easily transform from a seal to a human and vice versa.

Once the premise is set, both siblings embark on an underwater adventure to free fairies from the clutches of a vengeful goddess. Emotional and stirring, the film is set apart from its peers for its hand-drawn animation.

6 Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

Based on the best-selling children’s book of the same name, Where The Wild Things Are is director Spike Jonze’s foray into fantasy, incorporating both live-action and CGI elements. A boy named Max (Max Records), who’s otherwise lonely in his own world, finds himself in another realm where its creatures (the titular ‘Wild Things’) crown him as their king.

Despite its premise, the film is somewhat deeper in its interpretation of its source material and was hence marketed mainly for older viewers. The dark tones and story aside, what makes this film all the more worthwhile is featuring a memorable performance by James Gandolfini in his post-Sopranos career as he voices the reckless Wild Thing Carol.

5 Your Name (2016)

Possibly the best-known anime film apart from Studio Ghibli classics, Your Name makes for essential viewing for beginners to Japanese animated cinema.

The basic premise is a Freaky Friday-like setting as a city boy and countryside girl find their bodies to be swapped for reasons unknown to them. This eventually leads to life-changing emotional consequences for the two. The film won its writer-director, Makoto Shinkai, great acclaim, who then followed the film’s success with another romantic fantasy Weathering with You, which earned an equal amount of praise.

4 Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)

The latest offering by Disney, Raya and the Last Dragon is set in a world where humans and dragons co-exist in peace. However, the notorious creatures known as the Druun wreak havoc, threatening this peace that compels the warrior Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) to find the so-called ‘last dragon’ (Awkwafina) and save both races.

An action fantasy at its core, Raya and the Last Dragon elevates above familiar tropes to continue Dinsey’s successful computer-animated streak of family-friendly fun.

3 I Lost My Body (2019)

A darkly surreal trip of a film, I Lost My Body is heavily unique in its approach to animated tragedy. At the center of this French film is a pizza delivery boy named Naoufel who grows up with the grief of losing his parents and wanders aimlessly in hopes of finding a companion. When he does get infatuated with a girl, a series of events eventually lead to his hand getting dismembered.

The plot around this severed hand forms a parallel story as the viewers witness the journey of this hand that seems to have a life of its own. Both stories are heavily metaphorical and emotional, and yet the film doesn’t overdo its tragicomic tones.

2 The Book Of Life (2014)

Before Coco, The Book of Life explored the vibrance of the Mexican festival Day of the Dead as a bullfighter (Diego Luna) explores the afterlife while fulfilling his aspirations to reunite with his romantic interest and to emerge as a renowned singer.

The story might be a tad bit cliched for some audiences, but the enthralling animation is as good as the aforementioned Coco and makes the film engaging enough. An added cherry on the top is the series of Spanish-style covers of popular pop numbers by the cast-members.

1 Isle Of Dogs (2018)

While Wes Anderson’s debut animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox is a must-watch, it’s his sophomore effort, Isle of Dogs that truly unleashes an emotional prowess. Embracing a rather gritty tone for a children’s stop-motion film, the narrative is set in a dystopian Japanese future where all dogs are exiled to a garbage dump island.

A 12-year-old boy (Koyu Rankin) dares to defy the authorities and explores the island with his own pet dog. This journey turns out to be an eye-opener for him as he bears witness to the experiences of the other trapped stray dogs, most of whom have had tragic lives. Ultimately, the child and his canine friends stage a revolution of their own.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(724 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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