Start here
Spirited Away
Follow Chihiro into a place with unfamiliar rules. Choose it for an imaginative adventure with an emotional thread, and check guidance for younger viewers.
Explore the films ↓Hayao Miyazaki
Flying machines, unfamiliar worlds, and people learning to live together.Wikipedia ↗
12 films · 1979–2023
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12 original theatrical features directed by Hayao Miyazaki, from The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) to The Boy and the Heron (2023). Shorts, television episodes, episode compilations and writing-only credits are excluded. Credits checked September 13, 2026.
Where to start
A quieter side
My Neighbor Totoro
Ordinary routines and small discoveries carry the story. Try it when observation and atmosphere appeal more than a complicated plot.
Explore the films ↓Explore further
Princess Mononoke
A conflict between communities and the forest allows competing needs to remain visible. It is a more violent choice, so do not treat it as interchangeable with Totoro.
Explore the films ↓About Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animation director and a co-founder of Studio Ghibli. His feature work begins before the studio: The Castle of Cagliostro arrived in 1979, followed by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. This page follows his directing credits rather than collecting every film associated with Ghibli.
His films often place curiosity beside uncertainty: a child enters an unfamiliar world, a pilot questions a conflict, or a community struggles with its surroundings. Some stories leave space for everyday routines; others contain frightening images, war or grief. Animation alone does not tell you which film will suit a particular viewer.
Signature style
Flight and inventionNature and industryEveryday routinesYoung protagonistsAmbiguous conflictsHand-drawn worlds
Filmography
Frequently asked questions
Are all Studio Ghibli films directed by Hayao Miyazaki?+
No. Ghibli films have several directors. This list follows Miyazaki’s feature directing credits, not the studio label. Films he wrote or helped develop without directing are outside this list.
Does this include Nausicaä and The Castle of Cagliostro?+
Yes. Both are features directed by Miyazaki before Studio Ghibli was founded. They belong in his directing filmography even though this is not simply a Ghibli catalogue.
Which Hayao Miyazaki movie should I watch first?+
Our editorial starting point is Spirited Away for a fantasy adventure. My Neighbor Totoro offers a quieter introduction. Princess Mononoke explores a more violent conflict; check suitability for your viewers.
Where is my watched progress saved?+
Watched progress is saved in this browser for this director. It does not require an account or sync automatically between devices. Clearing browser storage removes the saved marks.