1. Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ)
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
It has an average vote of 7.978 on TMDB.
2. Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便)
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
It has an average vote of 7.827 on TMDB.
3. The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
It has an average vote of 7.655 on TMDB.
4. Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城)
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
It has an average vote of 8.412 on TMDB.
5. Porco Rosso (紅の豚)
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
It has an average vote of 7.798 on TMDB.
6. The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ)
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
It has an average vote of 7.8 on TMDB.
7. My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ)
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
It has an average vote of 8.073 on TMDB.
8. Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫)
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
It has an average vote of 8.3 on TMDB.
9. Tales from Earthsea (ゲド戦記)
Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans. Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause. During his journey, he meets Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy. While Arren may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Teru. For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. She can use the boy's "fears" against the very one who would help him, Ged.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
10. Whisper of the Heart (耳をすませば)
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: 'Seiji Amasawa'.
It has an average vote of 7.935 on TMDB.
11. From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から)
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
12. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ)
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
It has an average vote of 7.9 on TMDB.
13. Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
It has an average vote of 8.537 on TMDB.
14. The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し)
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.
It has an average vote of 7.173 on TMDB.
15. Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ)
The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and fight back. The Raccoons practice and perfect the ancient art of transformation until they are even able to appear as humans in hilarious circumstances.
It has an average vote of 7.161 on TMDB.
16. Paris, Texas
A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.
It has an average vote of 8.1 on TMDB.
17. When Marnie Was There (思い出のマーニー)
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.
It has an average vote of 7.943 on TMDB.
18. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語)
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.
It has an average vote of 8.079 on TMDB.
19. Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓)
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
It has an average vote of 8.464 on TMDB.
20. Only Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ)
On a trip to the countryside to pick safflowers, a young Japanese woman recalls her life when she was ten years old.
It has an average vote of 7.36 on TMDB.
