Studio Ghibli is arguably one of the greatest animation studios in the world, if not the greatest. With Hayao Miyazaki heading the studio for so many years, his works have become synonymous with the Ghibli animation style, character design, memorable soundtracks, and narrative excellence.

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That being said, Miyazaki is not the only animator at the studio directing masterpiece after masterpiece. In total, there have been 7 animators who directed feature-length movies for the studio — all of them had something unique to bring to the world of animation.

7 Tomomi Mochizuki only directed one movie for the studio, but it's still a curious case as all the other Ghibli works are

Taku and Rikako walking together in Ocean Waves

The only television film in the studio's filmography, it was an effort by the studio to let younger staff members create a relatively cheap movie, but it ended up going over budget and over schedule. Nonetheless, the movie was well-received though it wasn't as critically successfully as many other Ghibli works.

Based on the novel of the same name, Ocean Waves takes place in the city of Kochi, located on the Japanese island of Shikoku. It tells the story of two friends both of whom fall for the new girl at their high school.

6 Hiroyuki Morita directed The Cat Returns, which was a critical & commercial success upon release

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen pointing at something in The Cat Returns

Another animator who only directed one movie for Studio Ghibli is Hiroyuki Morita. Before directing for Ghibli, Morita worked as an animator on projects such as Akira, Kiki's Delivery Service, Perfect Blue, and My Neighbors the Yamadas, among others. Morita went on to direct The Cat Returns, which was a critical and commercial success upon release.

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Based on the manga of the same name, The Cat Returns follows a seventeen-year-old girl who helps a cat and becomes engaged to a cat Prince against her wishes. Now, her only hope is the dapper cat statuette that has come to life.

5 Yoshifumi Kondo only directed one movie for Studio Ghibli (Whisper of the Heart) before his untimely death in 1998

Seiji and Shizuku playing the violin and singing in Whisper of the Heart

Yoshifumi Kondo's story is a tragic one. Allegedly, the studio had hoped that Kondo would go on to become what Miyazaki and Takahata were for the company. Like Morita, Kondo had also worked on other Ghibli movies including Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday, and Princess Mononoke.

Based on the manga of the same name, Kondo's Whisper of the Heart tells the story of two characters falling in love; a girl who loves reading books and a boy who had previously read all the books she is now getting from the library.

4 when Hiromasa Yonebayashi debuted with his Ghibli directorial work The Secret World of Arrietty, he became the youngest director of any movie ever produced by the studio

Movies Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

His second and final movie for Ghibli, When Marnie Was There, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Yonebayashi later left Ghibli along with producer Yoshiaki Nishimura and formed Studio Ponoc where Yonebayashi continues directing.

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Adapted from a novel, The Secret World of Arrietty tells the story of a tiny family living in secrecy and whose teenage daughter is discovered by a human boy. Also based on a novel, When Marnie Was There follows a twelve-year-old girl with asthma who is sent to her relatives living in the countryside where she befriends a mysterious girl named Marnie.

3 Though allegedly Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki, was initially reluctant to enter the industry, he eventually started directing at Studio Ghibli

Movies Directed by Goro Miyazaki

Two of Goro Miyazaki's movies have received mixed reviews from critics with only one getting praise. Still, Miyazaki has the potential to become a great director (though it's probably doubtful he will ever compare to his father in this sense).

His first directorial work, an adaptation of a famous series of fantasy books, was Tales from Earthsea which mostly received criticism for its divergence from the source material. His second work, an adaptation of a manga, was From Up on Poppy Hill which was a critical and commercial success. His last work to date and the last movie from Ghibli so far, an adaptation of a novel, Earwig and the Witch is the first full 3D CG animated Ghibli movie and it also received mixed reviews.

2 One of Studio Ghibli's most famous directors, Isao Takahata, can definitely be considered one of the greatest animators in history

Movies Directed by Isao Takahata

He has worked on the studio's numerous projects and directed a total of five different critically-acclaimed movies for Ghibli with the most recent one, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, getting a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

His first work was Grave of the Fireflies which was set in the last months of WWII and followed two siblings trying to survive in Japan at the time. Then came Only Yesterday which follows a young woman traveling to the countryside and remembering her childhood. Pom Poko follows a community of magical shape-shifting raccoon dogs while My Neighbors the Yamadas focuses on the life of a family in contemporary Japan. The latest The Tale of the Princess Kaguya follows a tiny girl found in bamboo who grows rapidly into a young lady and must face her destiny.

1 Hayao Miyazaki has directed a total of ten different Ghibli movies, all of which have been nominated for multiple awards

Movies Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki's name is synonymous with Studio Ghibli, so it's no surprise that he has directed a total of ten different Ghibli movies, all of which have been nominated for multiple awards and received with lots of praise.

The first Miyazaki movie considered to be a Ghibli work is Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind which was actually produced by the company that would soon become Studio Ghibli. His directorial work was Castle in the Sky followed by My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Porco Rosso. Then came Miyazaki's most famous works such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle before directing the most recent Ponyo and The Wind Rises.

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