10 Movies Every Film Buff Should Have Seen Already

10. Spirited Away (2001)

Casual audiences may argue that animation is just for children, but real film fans know that the artistry involved in creating high quality animated films transcends the condescending 'cartoon' label. While Disney and Pixar rule the roost worldwide, the Japanese production company Studio Ghibli have amassed a legion of fans with their hand-drawn films. Studio Ghibli have created a number of beautifully crafted movies, but founder Hayao Miyazaki finally broke through to the mainstream with Spirited Away, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and became the first movie in history to surpass $200 million at the box office before opening in the US. The story of Chihiro working in a magic bathhouse to save her parents is fairy tale storytelling at its best, but what stays with the viewer long after the credits roll is the intricate detail contained in each scene. Everything you see in an animated movie is built from the ground up, springing purely from the imagination of the film makers, so the aim is always to convince viewers that what they are seeing is real, no matter how fantastical the subject matter may be. Miyazaki excels at this, slipping tiny details into the background of every frame, so that the viewer discovers something new every time they watch one of his films. The success of Spirited Away thrust the work of Studio Ghibli and anime itself into the international mainstream, making it one of the most important animated films ever made. Miyazaki's crowning achievement is the pinnacle of animation and exemplifies the incredible potential that the medium has to offer. If you haven't seen Spirited Away yet... throw away all of your Disney films on VHS and make room for the Studio Ghibli collection. Further Recommendations: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Belleville Rendezvous (2003)