Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows With Joe Hisaishi
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1. The Boy and the Heron (2023)
PG-13 | 124 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
In the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy named Mahito ventures into a dreamlike world shared by both the living and the dead.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasaki, Aimyon
Votes: 52,199
2. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 852,875 | Gross: $10.06M
3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
PG | 119 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa
Votes: 451,529 | Gross: $4.71M
4. Princess Mononoke (1997)
PG-13 | 134 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Billy Crudup
Votes: 435,142 | Gross: $2.38M
5. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 381,927 | Gross: $1.11M
6. Ponyo (2008)
G | 101 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Tomoko Yamaguchi
Votes: 164,257 | Gross: $15.09M
7. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
PG | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda, Gorô Naya
Votes: 183,186 | Gross: $0.50M
8. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
G | 103 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Votes: 166,279
9. Castle in the Sky (1986)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada
Votes: 182,990
10. The Wind Rises (2013)
PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
Jiro Horikoshi studies assiduously to fulfill his aim of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As WWII begins, fighter aircraft designed by him end up getting used by the Japanese Empire against its foes.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura
Votes: 99,264 | Gross: $5.21M
11. Porco Rosso (1992)
PG | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Shûichirô Moriyama, Tokiko Katô, Bunshi Katsura VI, Tsunehiko Kamijô
Votes: 102,585
12. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
PG | 137 min | Animation, Drama, Family
Kaguya is a beautiful young woman coveted by five nobles. To try to avoid marrying a stranger she doesn't love, she sends her suitors on seemingly impossible tasks. But she will have to face her fate and punishment for her choices.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, James Marsden
Votes: 54,270 | Gross: $1.51M
13. The General (1926)
Passed | 78 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, Jim Farley
Votes: 98,390 | Gross: $1.03M
14. Departures (2008)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 55,077 | Gross: $1.50M
15. Spirited Away: Live on Stage (2022)
Not Rated | 170 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
A young girl arriving in a new neighborhood, enters the world of spirits, and when her parents are turned into pigs she must go on a quest to rescue them.
Director: John Caird | Stars: Kotaro Daigo, Kanna Hashimoto, Satoshi Hashimoto, Fu Hinami
Votes: 528
16. Fireworks (1997)
103 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ôsugi, Susumu Terajima
Votes: 33,292 | Gross: $0.23M
17. Sonatine (1993)
R | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Aya Kokumai, Tetsu Watanabe, Masanobu Katsumura
Votes: 23,349
18. Brother (I) (2000)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Japanese gangster is exiled to Los Angeles where his brother lives with a small but respectable multi-racial gang, who he inspires to expand their influence.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Claude Maki, Omar Epps, Masaya Katô
Votes: 24,599 | Gross: $0.45M
19. Kikujiro (1999)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Comedy
A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, The Great Gidayû
Votes: 22,228 | Gross: $0.20M
20. Children of the Sea (2019)
Not Rated | 111 min | Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
A young girl is drawn into a mystery involving sealife around the world, in which two mysterious boys are somehow involved.
Director: Ayumu Watanabe | Stars: Mana Ashida, Hiiro Ishibashi, Seishû Uragami, Win Morisaki
Votes: 3,714
21. A Scene at the Sea (1991)
101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The lives of a young, hearing-impaired and gloomy couple are fulfilled after the boy holds interest in surfboarding.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Claude Maki, Hiroko Ôshima, Sabu Kawahara, Toshizo Fujiwara
Votes: 6,714
22. Let the Bullets Fly (2010)
Not Rated | 132 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
In 1920s China, a bandit arrives in a remote provincial town posing as its new mayor, where he faces off against a tyrannical local nobleman.
Director: Wen Jiang | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Wen Jiang, You Ge, Carina Lau
Votes: 13,188 | Gross: $0.06M
23. Dolls (2002)
114 min | Drama, Romance
Three stories of never-ending love.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyôko Fukada
Votes: 17,383 | Gross: $0.00M
24. Silent Love (2024)
116 min | Romance
Just love. In this complicated and muddy age, this is the most sad love story of this winter, gently holding up a transparent pure love.
Director: Eiji Uchida | Stars: Arata Furuta, Minami Hamabe, Wan Marui, Ayumu Nakajima
Votes: 66
25. Mei and the Kitten Bus (2002)
13 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
A Kittenbus puppy, the cat-shaped bus that is one of the protagonists of My Neighbor Totoro, becomes a great friend of little Mei and with her has an incredible night adventure in the forest.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Chika Sakamoto
Votes: 1,702
26. Yamato (2005)
145 min | Drama, History, War
The movie follows 3 Japanese friends from embarking on Yamato, the world's largest battleship, until it's sunk 3 1/2 years later on April 7, 1945 on it's way to Okinawa to stop American advance at the end of WWII.
Director: Jun'ya Satô | Stars: Takashi Sorimachi, Shidô Nakamura, Kyôka Suzuki, Ken'ichi Matsuyama
Votes: 2,416
27. Robot Carnival (1987 Video)
Unrated | 90 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
A collection of short stories, made by different animators with "robot" as the working title.
Directors: Atsuko Fukushima, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Kôji Morimoto, Takashi Nakamura, Yasuomi Umetsu, Manabu Ôhashi, Hidetoshi Ômori, Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Kôji Moritsugu, Yayoi Maki, Keiko Hanagata, Kumiko Takizawa
Votes: 2,968
28. The Wizard of Oz (1982)
Not Rated | 78 min | Animation, Family, Adventure
Animated version of the classic story of a young farmgirl who is transported to the magic land of Oz.
Directors: Fumihiko Takayama, John Danylkiw | Stars: Aileen Quinn, Lorne Greene, Mari Okamoto, Hizuru Kotobuki
Votes: 439 | Gross: $0.61M
29. When the Last Sword Is Drawn (2002)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama, History
A samurai goes to extraordinary lengths to provide for his family.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Kiichi Nakai, Kôichi Satô, Yui Natsukawa, Takehiro Murata
Votes: 5,368
30. NiNoKuni (2019)
TV-14 | 106 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
High school peers Yuu and Haru travel between the real world and a parallel fantasy universe to help their friend Kotona, whose life is in danger.
Director: Yoshiyuki Momose | Stars: Kento Yamazaki, Tucker Chandler, Ray Chase, Greg Chun
Votes: 3,952
31. The Legend (2007)
Drama, Fantasy, History
A fairy tale about king-Arthur-type main character, story of karma, passions and political ambitions in the ancient kingdom.
Stars: Oh Gwang-Rok, Choi Min-soo, Park Sang-Won, Bae Yong-jun
Votes: 253
32. Casting Blossoms to the Sky (2012)
160 min | Drama
Endo Reiko visits the city of Nagaoka and listens to a motley cast's stories. She learns about the fireworks in the city and its history, how war ravaged and changed the city and the ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Akira Emoto, Masayuki Yui, Misako Renbutsu
Votes: 295
33. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Director: Mami Sunada | Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Yumiko Miyoshi, Toshio Suzuki, Shinsuke Nonaka
Votes: 5,673
34. Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
Not Rated | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.
Director: Kwang-Hyun Park | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Shin Ha-kyun, Kang Hye-jeong, Ha-ryong Lim
Votes: 7,552
35. Venus Wars (1989)
Not Rated | 103 min | Animation, Action, Drama
Two thriving colonies, Ishtar and Aphrodia, exist on the planet Venus in the year 2089. War breaks out, and Ishtar invades Aphrodia, sweeping its residents, including motorcycle rider Hiro and his teammates, into the chaos of the conflict.
Directors: Kôichi Chigira, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko | Stars: Katsuhide Uekusa, Yûko Mizutani, Eriko Hara, Yûko Sasaki
Votes: 1,997
36. Ozu no mahôtsukai (1986–1987)
TV-Y | 25 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are swept up by a tornado, they are magically transported to the Land of Oz- An enchanted world were anything is possible!
Stars: Morgan Hallett, Sumi Shimamoto, Mark Denis, Yoshito Yasuhara
Votes: 359
37. Arion (1986)
R | 118 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Arion begins with his journey to discover a world of poverty and horror where ordinary people are barely surviving through the war. He falls in love with a blind slave girl who is then ... See full summary »
Director: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko | Stars: Shigeru Nakahara, Miki Takahashi, Mayumi Tanaka, Hirotaka Suzuoki
Votes: 461
38. Ocean Heaven (2010)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama
Explores the subject of parental love and autism in kids.
Director: Xiaolu Xue | Stars: Jet Li, Zhang Wen, Gwei Lun-Mei, Yuanyuan Zhu
Votes: 2,764
39. Boro the Caterpillar (2018)
14 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
A diving bell spider who seems to have fallen in love with a water strider.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Star: Tamori
Votes: 257
40. Kids Return (1996)
107 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
Dropping out of high school, two friends at first find success, one as a up-and-coming boxer and one as a low level gangster. Yet, their life decisions still find a way of catching up with them.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Andô, Leo Morimoto, Hatsuo Yamaya
Votes: 6,794
41. Hello! Sandy Bell (1981–1982)
24 min | Animation, Adventure, Romance
Hello! Sandybell is the story of a girl who lives in Scotland with her father. She spends her time playing with her faithful dog (Oliver) and her friends. One day she meets the Countess of ... See full summary »
Stars: Yuriko Yamamoto, Minori Matsushima, Mami Koyama, Mugihito
Votes: 956
42. What a Wonderful Family (2017)
113 min | Comedy
In this sequel to the first It's A Wonderful Family, the characters who are still based on those in Tokyo Family (which itself was based on Tokyo Story), are a couple of years older with ... See full summary »
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Masahiko Nishimura, Shôzô Hayashiya
Votes: 784
43. Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess (2010)
12 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
The witch Baba Yaga keeps her servant the Egg Princess confined and forces her to do hard daily chores around the mill. One night, a batch of kneaded dough comes to life and befriends the Egg Princess.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Votes: 894
44. A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies (2007)
124 min | Drama
Mari and her puppies survive an earthquake by protecting their puppies and waiting for their owner's return.
Director: Ryûichi Inomata | Stars: Yoshikazu Ebisu, Eiichirô Funakoshi, Ryohei Hirota, Yukijirô Hotaru
Votes: 329
45. The Drifting Classroom (1987)
104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
An international school in Kobe, Japan is catapulted into the future after a time-slip occurs.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Yasufumi Hayashi, Aiko Asano, Vajra Barzaghi, Leana D'Aloisio
Votes: 294
46. The Sun Also Rises (2007)
116 min | Drama, Fantasy
Jiang Wen stars in his third directorial work that boasts a stellar cast including Joan Chen, Anthony Wong and Jaycee Chan. A polyptych of interconnected stories in different time-zones, ... See full summary »
Director: Wen Jiang | Stars: Wen Jiang, Joan Chen, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Jaycee Chan
Votes: 2,576
47. Chizuko's Younger Sister (1991)
120 min | Drama, Fantasy
Follows two sisters, one clumsy and ignored, the other a perfect child. After the latter dies in an accident, she returns as a ghost to guide her little sister.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Hikari Ishida, Tomoko Nakajima, Toshinori Omi, Tomoka Shibayama
Votes: 335
48. Till The End Of The World (2018)
PG-13 | 117 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
The unlikely pairing of a spoiled millionaire venture capitalist scouting for extreme wedding tour locations and a grounded science photographer en route to chronicle the Aurora Australis ... See full summary »
Director: Youyin Wu | Stars: Mark Chao, Zishan Yang, Anastasia Berestova, Jao Felipe
Votes: 425 | Gross: $0.12M
49. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (2011 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Oliver discovers that his mother is not dead, but kidnapped and taken hostage by the White Witch.
Director: Kentaro Motomura | Stars: Adam Wilson, Lauren Mote, Louis Tamone, Steffan Rhodri
Votes: 988
50. The Little House (2014)
136 min | Drama, Romance
A woman looks back on her family's life in Tokyo before and during WWII. A maid arrives from the countryside to work for an upper middle class family. She fits in well, but everyone's emotions are stirred up with the arrival of a student.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 1,456