>>"Spirited Away" is warmly recommended for family viewing. I just saw "Porco Rosso" and that was unspoiled by Disney tampering, too. I have just ordered that, "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," and "The Cat Came Back" for my DVD library, all just released, sponsored by Disney but directed by Miyazaki. I have all his earlier movies on DVD. They're all terrific.<<
Good choices!!! I love Studio Ghibli films. We own all of them in original Japanese and are slowly collecting them in English. I want my girls to watch with subtitles because it forces them to read. They Love "Castle in the Sky" and I refuse to get in in English.
Have you seen "Grave of the Fireflies?" It has an anti war message but is extremely well done. One cries for hours at this film.
And if you have kiddies, make sure you get "My Neighbor Totoro." The Soot Sprites from "Spirited Away" make their debut!
My kids love, "Panda Go Panda" but basically it's eye candy.
I'm dying to see "Howl's Moving Castle." It's openning here in the US in June. I think it's a Disney release as well.
(have you seen the English Dub of "Kiki's Delivery Service"?
That was the first we saw. Phil Hartman as the cat Jiji, makes the film!)
I can't wait to see "Howl's Moving Castle" either. I'm slightly hopeful it'll be the movie to convince my mother that anime can be a-ok. But I'm torn about seeing it dubbed in the theater versus waiting for the subtitled rental.