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Earlier this month a gave my cousin a copy of My Neighbor Totoro, and apparently her four year old is love with the movie. Much to my delight because I now have a solid base from which to buy her gifts, whereas before I had no clue what to get a little girl.
Honestly, I'm about to go on vacation and I've ordered toy clock that you put together yourself that I have fun with my cousins two little girls working on and give to them. It's actually the original gear mechanized clock, you wind it to work for about eight hours at a time and everything. I would not be surprised if this bores them to death, but I would have loved that as a kid. But its bright and it comes with directions, so my fingers are crossed hoping they like it.
I like Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away is one of my all time favorite things ever. But those three are the only Hayao Miyazaki films I've seen, and I would love to able to give them another movie. I know Totoro is the most simple, and that is great for the four year old seeing as it is basically written for her, but her five year old sister was no where near as thrilled. I don't know what Ghibli movie is the next step in story-telling and complexity, and I'm not so sure that Spirited Away could hold their attention very well.
So what is the next Ghibli film I should get them?
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Kiki. One of my daughter's favorites. Ponyo and The Secret World of Arrietty are probably tied for second.
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Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle are my favorite Ghibli films, but they aren't appropriate for younger kids.
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Nick Jr's Fresh Beat Band had an episode called "Kiki's Delivery Service" and I thought nothing of it til now...wonder if this is a nod to Ghibli?
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I'm liking Kiki for the next movie I get them, they even have a little black kitty so the girls can have more to interact with mentally.
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Get Kiki. My son still sleeps with the Jiji cat doll we got while I was in Japan for Tiffany.
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I saw Totoro for the first time last year, and it's a fantastic movie.
But I could not help but think that it would have terrified me if I saw it as a four year old. Isn't there a certain uncanniness to Totoro? The smile is a little creepy.
How many of you have watched it with very young children? How'd they like it?
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My then-three year old LOVED LOVED LOVED the Totoro. Not scary to her at all. There may be some kids who get scared when he says his name (to...to..ROOOOOOO gets yelled in our house a LOT) but beyond that, he's pretty darn non-threatening.
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Hit submit too early...for the 4 year old set, I'd go with Ponyo or Kiki's Delivery Service as the next movie. I'd follow that up with The Secret World of Arrietty, then Spirited Away in a few years. Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke are definitely for older kids. Porco Ross is fun just for Michael Keaton hamming it up as a pulpy 1920's pilot.
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According to my cousin the four year old was inaccessible while watching Totoro. She was non-responsive, so she really really likes Totoro.
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Castle in the Sky is pretty good. Nausicaa was amazing in manga form but the movie really didn't do it justice. It makes me wish Ghibli would do 13 episodes for it.
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I keep almost buying Castle in the Sky, but some of the less popular Ghibli films are hard to find at a reasonable price.
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The first time I watched Totoro, I was in a long car ride to my grandparents, and that was a really awesome context to watch that movie in.
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I gave my friend Ponyo and his kids couldn't stop watching it. They kept asking to rewatch it. I personally didn't think it was that good, but it is a kid's movie.
The Secret World of Arrietty was fantastic. If you can find it, I'd show that one.
My favorites are Naasica and Mononoke. They're more for teens, though, I think.
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Speaking of Nausicaa, the actual manga is infinitely superior to the movie. I can't recommend it enough.
How many of you have seen the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings? Remember how it ends with a minor battle from the beginning of Two Towers, and all you get is a voice over saying "and so evil was banished from Middle Earth forever..."?
The movie Nausicaa is kind of like that.
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Yay, something I am extremely well versed in, anime! Studio Ghibli makes it even easier.
I would suggest Whispers of the Heart and The Cat Returns,the older one will probably like Whispers but the younger should like Cat, and since the two movies are related they should enjoy watching either of them together.
I would probably rank the closest age selection of SG films in this order: \ From lowest age to highest Totoro Ponyo (I haven't seen it much to my chagrin but I think this is were it falls) Kiki's Delivery Service Arrietty (for younger audiences but I thought it might have dragged a litle) Cat Returns Pom Poko Whispers of the Heart Laputa: Castle in the Sky Howl's Moving Castle Spirted Away
Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, and Porco Rosso are all movies I would old off on till at least teens. To be real honest I was in my twenties and I had a hard time understanding Porco Rosso.
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quote:Originally posted by Foust: I saw Totoro for the first time last year, and it's a fantastic movie.
But I could not help but think that it would have terrified me if I saw it as a four year old. Isn't there a certain uncanniness to Totoro? The smile is a little creepy.
How many of you have watched it with very young children? How'd they like it?
My kids were 2 and 4 when they first saw it, and they loved it.
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Oh and The Cat's Returns (not a mispelling) is also a fun whimsical movie by Studio Ghibli. IIRC it's completely safe for kids.
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