1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 8.538 on TMDB.
4. 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.
5. 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 7.937 on TMDB.
6. 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.
7. 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 7.828 on TMDB.
8. 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 8.1 on TMDB.
9. Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
It has an average vote of 7.747 on TMDB.
10. Trainspotting
Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends -- Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind when Begbie shows up at his front door on the lam, and a scheming Sick Boy follows.
It has an average vote of 7.968 on TMDB.
11. 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 7.784 on TMDB.
12. 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 7.932 on TMDB.
13. 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 7.7 on TMDB.
14. 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 7.2 on TMDB.
15. 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 8.5 on TMDB.
16. Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪)
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.
It has an average vote of 8.224 on TMDB.
17. 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 7.2 on TMDB.
18. 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.
19. Pulp Fiction
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
It has an average vote of 8.489 on TMDB.
20. Léon: The Professional
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.
It has an average vote of 8.309 on TMDB.
