For decades, Studio Ghibli has produced some of animation’s greatest achievements. Classics like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and The Boy and the Heron often dominate conversations, leaving many of the studio’s other works in their shadow. However, Studio Ghibli’s real depth is in the movies that never got the merchandise deals or generally get ranked amongst its best.
Over the years, these lesser-known movies still showcase everything audiences love about Studio Ghibli. They feature memorable characters, breathtaking hand-drawn animation, and heartfelt storytelling while exploring themes that range from family and friendship to environmental responsibility and growing up. With Studio Ghibli Fest bringing the catalog back to theaters this year, it’s worth looking past the icons and giving these ten underrated Studio Ghibli movies a chance at the spotlight.
Only Yesterday (1991)
Few animated movies explore adulthood as thoughtfully as Only Yesterday. The story follows Taeko Okajima, a 27-year-old office worker who reflects on her childhood while visiting the countryside. Rather than relying on dramatic twists, the movie builds its emotional impact through ordinary memories and personal reflection. It examines how childhood experiences shape adulthood, making it one of Studio Ghibli’s most mature and relatable works.
Ocean Waves (1993)
Unlike most Studio Ghibli productions, Ocean Waves tells a grounded coming-of-age story without fantasy elements. Originally produced as a television film by the studio’s younger staff members, it follows high school student Taku Morisaki as he becomes caught between his best friend and a complicated new classmate.
Its restrained storytelling has made it one of Ghibli’s least-discussed movies, but that’s also part of its charm. Instead of magical adventures, it focuses on realistic teenage emotions, awkward relationships, and the uncertainty of growing up. Fans looking for a quieter drama will find plenty to appreciate.
Pom Poko (1994)
Isao Takahata‘s raccoon-dog fable gets overshadowed by his other two masterworks, but it might be the studio’s sharpest environmental statement. Shape-shifting tanuki wage a losing war against suburban development encroaching on their forest, and Takahata refuses to let the story resolve into easy triumph. It’s funnier than anything else in the catalog, stuffed with folklore and slapstick, right up until it isn’t. Its ending lands with a gut-punch most audiences don’t see coming from a movie this playful.
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
While many Studio Ghibli movies feature magical worlds, Whisper of the Heart finds wonder in everyday life. The movie follows aspiring writer Shizuku as she discovers both first love and her creative ambitions. Its honest portrayal of teenage dreams has earned a devoted following over the years, yet it remains overshadowed by Studio Ghibli’s fantasy classics. The film’s warmth, relatable characters, and uplifting message continue to resonate with audiences of all ages.
My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
My Neighbors the Yamadas is Isao Takahata’s biggest formal swing. It is a watercolor-style anthology of vignettes about an ordinary family, adapted from a newspaper comic strip. It abandons Studio Ghibli’s signature lush backgrounds entirely for something loose and sketchbook-like. However, it bombed hard enough at the Japanese box office that it reportedly cost Studio Ghibli’s producer his job. Its commercial failure buried a genuinely funny, formally daring film. My Neighbors the Yamadas is a Ghibli movie that finds real tenderness in the mundane chaos of family life without a single spirit or flying machine in sight.
The Cat Returns (2002)
Overshadowed by Spirited Away and inspired by characters introduced in Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns offers a playful fantasy filled with humor and imagination. After saving a mysterious cat, teenager Haru Yoshioka is invited into the Kingdom of Cats, where bizarre adventures quickly unfold. The movie moves at a brisk pace, balancing comedy with colorful visuals and memorable supporting characters, including the charming Baron Humbert von Gikkingen.
Tales from Earthsea (2006)
Gorō Miyazaki‘s directorial debut gets unfairly flattened into one of Studio Ghibli’s underrated movies largely because it followed his father’s Howl’s Moving Castle and inevitably drew comparisons it couldn’t win. Loosely adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin‘s novels, it’s messier and darker than the label’s usual output. It wrestles with themes of identity and mortality that are genuinely ambitious even when the execution wobbles. However, if it’s revisited without the weight of expectation, there’s a real, brooding fantasy film in there.
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Gorō Miyazaki’s second film, From Up on Poppy Hill, is a far more assured piece of work than his rocky debut, and it gets buried simply for not being fantastical. Set in 1963 Yokohama, the story follows two students working to save their school’s historic clubhouse while uncovering surprising truths about their families. The movie captures a changing Japan with warmth and nostalgia, creating an engaging romance that feels refreshingly sincere.
When Marnie Was There (2014)
When Marnie Was There is Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s second feature, and the film that closed out Studio Ghibli’s original production era before its 2017 hiatus. The story centers on Anna, a lonely young girl who befriends the mysterious Marnie during a summer in the countryside. As their friendship deepens, the movie gradually reveals an emotional mystery that rewards patient viewers. Its beautiful watercolor-inspired landscapes perfectly complement its gentle storytelling.
Arrietty (2010)
Based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton, Arrietty transforms an ordinary house into an extraordinary world from the perspective of tiny people living beneath the floorboards. The detailed animation gives everyday objects a sense of scale and wonder, while the friendship between Arrietty and the human boy Sho provides the movie’s emotional core. It may not receive the same attention as Studio Ghibli’s biggest titles, but its craftsmanship is among the studio’s finest.
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