Studio Ghibli Movies Tier List
Twelve films from one studio, which makes this a cleaner comparison than most: same house style, same production values, so the ranking has to come down to story, music and what the film does to you. Nothing is pre-ranked, and there is no wrong answer at the top. Every entry starts in Unranked — drag or tap a tile to fill S through F, rename any row, then export the finished board as a PNG.
Spirited Away
My Neighbor Totoro
Princess Mononoke
Howl’s Moving Castle
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Castle in the Sky
Ponyo
The Wind Rises
Grave of the Fireflies
The Cat Returns
Porco Rosso
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya0 of 12 items ranked.
Board saved automatically in this browser. Original.
How this board is built: the 12 tiles are an editorial starting set, not an official roster and not a published ranking — every entry waits in Unranked until you place it. Item tiles are original pictograms or two-letter emblems drawn for this site rather than character artwork, film stills or club logos, so nothing here is licensed material reused from a rights holder. Tiers you set are your own judgement.
What's included in this Studio Ghibli Movies board
The board arrives with all 12 entries present as tiles and none of them assigned to a tier. That is deliberate: a template that opens with a finished ranking only invites you to agree or disagree with whoever made it, whereas an empty ladder makes you commit to an ordering of your own. Drag a tile onto a row, or on a phone tap the tile and then the tier you want. You can add rows for extra categories, rename the standard ones, and remove any entry you do not recognise — a list you can defend is more useful than a long one you cannot.
How to rank this Studio Ghibli Movies board
Rank story first, and be specific about what kind of story: plot-driven adventure, quiet character study, or something closer to a tone poem. Comparing across those forms is where most Ghibli arguments break down. Animation and art direction come next, judged on invention rather than budget — the studio's baseline is high, so the differentiator is how distinctive a film's world feels. Music deserves its own pass; several of these scores do a lot of the emotional work. Emotional impact is the final and most honest filter. A film that leaves you quiet for an hour is doing something a more exciting one is not, and a board that says so is more useful than one pretending to be objective.
Using the board without over-thinking it
Most people finish a board like this in a couple of minutes and then reorder the middle rows for another ten. That middle is where the honest disagreement lives, so do not rush it: place the obvious top three and the obvious bottom three first, then work inward. If two entries still feel identical, that is a real observation — say so in a row note or a text tile rather than inventing a difference. When the ordering settles, export the PNG so the arrangement is saved somewhere permanent, and copy the share link if you want someone else to argue with it.
Ranking criteria used here
- story
- animation
- music
- emotional impact
Before you share it
Put your criterion in the board title, so a reader knows whether they are looking at a favourites list or an analytical one. If the subject changes with patches, seasons or releases, add the date. And remember the share link carries tier names, colours and the tile order — uploaded photos stay on your device, so export a PNG when those matter.
All 12 items in this template
Back to the boardSpirited AwayMy Neighbor TotoroPrincess MononokeHowl’s Moving CastleKiki’s Delivery ServiceCastle in the SkyPonyoThe Wind RisesGrave of the FirefliesThe Cat ReturnsPorco RossoThe Tale of the Princess KaguyaStudio Ghibli Movies tier list FAQ
Is it fair to rank films this different against each other?
Only with a stated criterion. A gentle slice-of-life film and a war epic are not competing on the same axis, so name the axis in the title and the comparison becomes meaningful.
Which film is the best starting point?
Usually one with a clear plot and a strong hook rather than the studio's quietest work. If you are making a recommendation list, rank accessibility as its own criterion instead of assuming quality equals entry point.
