Amazing Japanese Kids Movies You Should Watch

Ranker Film
Updated August 11, 2023 3.3K votes 755 voters 49.7K views
Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Amazing Japanese Kids Movies You Should Watch
Voting Rules
Vote up your favorite Japanese films that were made for young audiences, but are beloved by people of all ages.

Sometimes big budget children's films leave a lot to be desired, but Japanese kids' films often prove to be thoughtful, insightful, and incredibly creative. The top Japanese movies for kids feature intriguing characters getting swept up into wonder and mystery. This is a list of the best kids' anime movies, including everything from Howl's Moving Castle to Princess Mononoke to Wolf Children.

What films will you find on this list of the best Japanese kids' movies? Spirited Away follows a young girl as she navigates a world of strange spirits. This universal tale was beloved by movie-goers all over the world. Grave of Fireflies is another great kids' movie produced in Japan. The Prince of the Cat Kingdom owes his life to a brave girl in the 2002 movie The Cat Returns. Other good films featured on this list include Whisper of the Heart, A Letter to Momo, and When Marnie was There.

Do you have a favorite kids' anime film? Vote the best movies up to the top of this list and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Most divisive: A Cat In Paris
Ranked by
  • Spirited Away
    1

    Spirited Away

    Rumi Hîragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
    352 votes
    • Released: 2001
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    In this animated feature by noted Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) and her parents (Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi) stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku (Miyu Irino), who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.

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  • My Neighbor Totoro
    2

    My Neighbor Totoro

    Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, Tim Daly
    317 votes
    • Released: 1988
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with their father and wait for their mother to recover from an illness in an area hospital. As the sisters explore their new home, they encounter and befriend playful spirits in their house and the nearby forest, most notably the massive cuddly creature known as Totoro.

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  • Howl's Moving Castle
    3

    Howl's Moving Castle

    Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa
    247 votes
    • Released: 2004
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    A young girl is forced to toil in her parents' hat shop and her only joy is in her occasional meetings with a handsome stranger, Howl the wizard. When a witch sees her happiness, she curses her to become old in a jealous rage. Ashamed and afraid, she flees to Howl's magic moving castle. Will Howl see her for who she really is?

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  • Ponyo
    4

    Ponyo

    Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson
    242 votes
    • Released: 2008
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    During a forbidden excursion to see the surface world, a goldfish princess encounters a human boy named Sosuke, who gives her the name Ponyo. Ponyo longs to become human, and as her friendship with Sosuke grows, she becomes more humanlike. Ponyo's father brings her back to their ocean kingdom, but so strong is Ponyo's wish to live on the surface that she breaks free, and in the process, spills a collection of magical elixirs that endanger Sosuke's village.

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  • Kiki's Delivery Service
    5

    Kiki's Delivery Service

    Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds
    199 votes
    • Released: 1989
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.

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  • Castle In The Sky
    6

    Castle In The Sky

    Megumi Hayashibara, Mayumi Tanaka, Ichirō Nagai
    152 votes
    • Released: 1986
    • Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
    Castle in the Sky is a 1986 Japanese animated adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is also the first film produced and released by Studio Ghibli. The film was distributed by Toei Kabushiki Kaisha. Laputa: Castle in the Sky won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986.