The movie that turned anime master – and notorious curmudgeon and martinet – Hayao Miyazaki from a revered artist in Japan to the most famous animator globally since Walt Disney. His story of a young girl who must enter a fantastical world after her parents are turned into pigs has spawned a thousand collectibles but never lost its narrative and thematic power. Come for the cute, weird creatures. Stay for a vicious dissection of runaway Western style consumerism’s impact on Japanese culture. – Richard Whittaker
