Japanese anime is a genre that is popular among children these days because of its creative and aesthetically pleasing portrayals of stories in a colorful way which attracts a young audience easily. Even if the language is hard to understand, there are subtitles as well as dubbed versions of anime movies available nowadays so that they are easily accessible and understandable for kids.
1. Spirited Away
Spirited away is a Studio Ghibli movie released in 2001 and became popular among the younger audience as soon as it came out and is still watched by many people. The movie follows the life of Chihiro Ogino, a ten-year-old girl who accidentally enters into the mysterious spirit world which she tries to escape and return to the human world.
2. Mary And The Witch’s Flower
This film is based on the book ‘The Little Broomstick’ by Mary Stewart which was published in 1971. The film portrays the story of a young girl named Mary who finds a magic flower which grants her power to become a witch and the adventures that follow suit.
3. My Neighbour Totoro
My Neighbour Totoro is a fantasy film by Studio Ghibli and was released in 1988. The film is set in post-war Japan and is about two sisters who move to a new house in a rural area where they interact with the friendly wood spirits that had been living there.
4. Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a film about a young witch named Kiki who leaves her home for a year to test her abilities as a witch and moves to a new city named Koriko. She finds a job at a bakery where she does delivery service by flying on her broomstick and making new friends in the neighborhood.
5. Your Name
Your Name is a movie which is loved by an audience of all ages. This romantic fantasy film follows the lives of two high school kids Taki and Mitsuha who live completely different lifestyles and find themselves swapped into each other’s bodies one fine day. The film beautifully depicts the contrast between city life and the countryside and how the lives of the main characters change when they try to find each other.
6. Castle In The Sky
Castle in the Sky is a fantasy and adventure film which follows the adventures of a young boy and girl who have a magic crystal which they must protect from bad people who want to get their hands on it while searching for a castle which is floating in the sky. The film is very visually pleasing and has been critically acclaimed as well.
7. Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke, yet another Studio Ghibli film, is based in the historical Muromachi period of Japan. The film is about Ashitaka, a cursed prince who goes on a journey to find a cure but ends up in the middle of a war between the people of a mining town and the forest creatures which live in the surrounding forest.
8. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
This is a coming-of-age film which is about a young girl who gains the ability to travel through time. But soon she realizes that her ability to time travel and change things in her past can also have negative repercussions and affects the lives of others around her. So, she sets out to make things right again.
9. The Secret World Of Arrietty
The Secret World of Arrietty is a film about a family of small miniature-sized people who live secretly in the walls and floorboards in households of large (normal-sized) humans and how they try to survive in their house by borrowing their things while not trying to get caught.
10. Ponyo
Ponyo is the story of a magical fish that escapes the ocean and is rescued by a five-year-old boy who befriends and takes care of her and names her Ponyo. She eventually falls in love with the boy and wishes to transform into a human girl because of him.
