25 Definitively Best Movies EVER (According To Critics AND Fans)

10. Spirited Away (2001)

Score: 93

Spirited Away is arguably Studio Ghibli's most famous film, not least because it won an Oscar, but whether it's actually the studio's best is another matter and a serious point of contention. It's definitely up there and the Oscar recognition was definitely fitting as acknowledgement for the entire body of work, but some fans would say there were more fitting winners.

That said, though, Spirited Away is still among the most important animations ever released and it deserves praise for making the Ghibli catalogue more accessible to possible future fans. It's basically a collation of all of Miyazaki's key ideas too, which makes it even more of an access point - it takes in environmentalism, the power of imagination, a young vulnerable protagonist who finds strength and traditional Japanese mythology.

It's also dark, weird and hauntingly beautiful, which is why it unifies fans and critics in their praise.

Rotten Tomatoes: 97 Audience: 96 IMDB: 86 Letterboxd: 88 Metascore: 96