Studio Ghibli is one of the world’s most famous and beloved movie studios. It is responsible for many iconic films, including Howl’s Moving Castle, From Up on Poppy Hill, and My Neighbor Totoro. Due to this enduring popularity, several of the firm’s most popular titles have been acquired by international distributors who have created English-dubbed versions of the movies.

Ghibli films often get some of the world’s most famous English-speaking actors to voice the characters. However, dubbing is tricky, and while some Studio Ghibli dubs are excellent, others don’t do the original films justice. But which Studio Ghibli dubs are worth watching, and which are better left on the shelf?

10 Disney’s Spirited Away Changes The Ending

2001’s Spirited Away is one of the most iconic Studio Ghibli films ever. The film follows Chihiro Ogino, a young girl moving across the country with her parents. When they stop at a seemingly abandoned theme park, Chihiro accidentally falls into the world of spirits and must quickly find a way out before she and her parents are trapped forever.

In 2002, an English dub executive produced by John Lasseter debuted. It stars Daveigh Chase as Chihiro, Jason Marsden as Haku, Suzanne Pleshette as Yubaba, Susan Egan as Lin, and Bob Bergen as No-Face. While the dub is technically sound and features a few great performances, fans complain that the translation is stilted in places. Plus, the dub adds a line at the end implying that Chihiro remembers her time at the bathhouse, which sparked lots of debate in fan spaces. Because of these elements, the Spirited Away dub is considered one of the weaker Ghibli English dubs despite its charms.

9 Disney’s Ponyo Is Made By Liam Neeson

2008’s Ponyo follows Sosuke, a young boy who lives in a small fishing town. One day, he finds a strange goldfish-like creature trapped in a glass jar. Trying to rescue the creature, Sosuke smashes the glass, cutting himself in the process. To his surprise, the animal licks the blood and instantly heals the wound, leading to Sosuke vowing to protect this creature no matter the cost. The animal dubbed itself Ponyo and decided it dreams of being a human, like Sosuke. Ponyo’s dreams set off a chain of events that soon threaten the whole town.

In 2009, Disney released an English dub of the film. This dub stars Noah Cyrus as Ponyo, Frankie Jonas as Sosuke, Tina Fey as Lisa, Matt Damon as Koichi, Cate Blanchett as Gran Mamare, and Liam Neeson as Fujimoto. This big-name cast does a great job of bringing the fairy-tale-like narrative to life. Liam Neeson is the highlight, as he beautifully captures Fujimoto’s confusion and fear of losing his daughter to the human world.

8 Disney’s Porco Rosso Features A Batman

Released in Japan in 1992, Porco Rosso follows Marco Pagot, a World War 1 flying ace. After a curse gives him the head of a pig, Pagot takes the name Porco Rosso and becomes a sky pirate hunter, shooting down criminals over the Adriatic Sea. Pagot lives a charmed life despite his curse, but this changes when he is shot down by a cocky American pilot. Keen to regain his honor, Pagot sets about rebuilding his plane and finding Curtis.

Porco Rosso was dubbed by Disney in 2005. It features Cary Elwes as Donald Curtis, Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Fio, and Susan Egan as Gina. However, the most interesting casting choice is the lead — Marco Pagot is voiced by the legendary Michael Keaton. Keaton’s performance makes this dub, as his take on Pagot perfectly fits the animation and story, to the point that many argue that his version is better than Shuichiro Moriyama’s original Japanese performance.

7 Disney’s Kiki’s Delivery Service Got Better After A While

Often cited as one of the most loved Studio Ghibli movies, Kiki’s Delivery Service has received two different English dubs: a 1990 dub made by Streamline Pictures (that only had a limited release) and a 1997 dub made by Disney. This second dub features an all-star cast, including Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, the legendary Phil Hartman as Jiji, Tress MacNeille as Osono, and Matthew Lawrence as Tombo.

While the 1997 Kiki’s Delivery Service dub features many great performances, it was heavily criticized by Studio Ghibli fans as it made several changes to the movie, replacing bits of the soundtrack and having Kiki regain the ability to talk to Jiji. In 2010, Disney updated this dub, bringing the English version of the movie back in line with the Japanese one. These changes further elevate the already good 1997 dub, making it great for Ghibli fans who don’t want to rely on subtitles.

6 Seraphim Digital And Sentai Filmworks’ Grave of the Fireflies Is A Harrowing Experience

One of the most harrowing movies ever made, Grave of the Fireflies follows Seita and Setsuko, two young children caught up in the destruction wrought by the Second World War. This destruction forces them to wander the countryside, doing increasingly horrible things to survive as the situation gets increasingly dire.

Grave of the Fireflies didn’t get an English dub until many years after its release. While it was released in 1988, the movie wasn’t dubbed into English until 1998, when Skypilot Entertainment’s dub hit shelves. In 2012, the film would get a second, superior dub made by Seraphim Digital and Sentai Filmworks. This second dub features Adam Gibbs and Emily Neves in the title roles. Both actors do a fantastic job of capturing the characters’ distress and deteriorating mental states, making several of the most harrowing scenes even more painful to watch.

5 GKIDS’ Only Yesterday Can Feel Slightly Strange

First released in 1991, Only Yesterday is an adaptation of Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone’s 1982 manga. The film follows Taeko Okajima, a city girl who feels lost and unsure about life. To try and break through this block, Taeko heads to the country to stay with some relatives and help with the safflower harvest. While in the country, Taeko recalls various childhood memories, leading to her reconsidering her life and dreams.

This film wouldn’t get a dub until 2016 when GKIDS made one to celebrate the film’s 25th Anniversary. However, it was worth the wait, as this dub features Daisy Ridley as adult Taeko, Alison Fernandez as child Taeko, Dev Patel as Toshio, and Laura Bailey as Nanako Okajima. This is an excellent cast, and everyone puts in a stunning performance. But, the dub is hampered a little bit by the accents; the film is a love letter to post-war rural Japanese life, so hearing characters with American accents in this setting feels a little jarring at points, which can hamper some viewers’ enjoyment.

4 StudioCanal’s The Secret World of Arrietty Is Better In England

2010’s The Secret World of Arrietty has had two different English dubs. While Disney’s 2012 dub is often maligned, the 2011 StudioCanal UK dub is much better. The Secret World of Arrietty follows Sho, a young boy who spots a tiny girl sneaking around his house. He soon learns that Arrietty and her family are borrowers — microscopic people who sneak around behind humans’ backs, stealing the things they need to live. Sho and Arrietty form a close friendship, but this is jeopardized when Arrietty’s parents disapprove of it, believing that humans and borrowers should never interact.

The UK dub has an impressive cast, with Saoirse Ronan and Tom Holland taking the lead roles of Sho and Arrietty. They are backed up by Olivia Colman as Homily, Geraldine McEwan as Haru, and Phyllida Law as Sadako Maki. Each actor gives a gripping performance, bringing so much emotion to the story, leading to a moving experience.

3 Disney’s The Cat Returns Features Tim Curry

2002’s The Cat Returns is a frequently overlooked Studio Ghibli film. Despite its relative obscurity, The Cat Returns did receive one of the better English dubs. The Cat Returns follows Haru Yoshioka, a young girl who ends up in a strange situation after she saves a cat that is about to be hit by a truck. This cat is Lune, the Prince of the Cat Kingdom. Happy to be rescued, he offers to marry Haru; when she accidentally accepts, Lune whisks her to the Cat Kingdom. But Haru soon realizes she needs to escape this place before she turns into a cat forever.

The Cat Returns‘ dub is packed with big names, with Anne Hathaway playing Haru, Cary Elwes playing the role of Baron, and Peter Boyle voicing Muta. All these actors do a great job, but Tim Curry steals the show as the Cat King. His suave but relaxed performance imbues the feline monarch with a unique vibe that is quite unlike anything else.

2 GKIDS’ The Boy and the Heron Is A Beautiful Modern Dub

The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito Maki, a young boy whose life is turned upside down when he is forced to move to the country after his mother dies in a fire. While in this new place, young Mahito meets a Heron who tells him that his mother isn’t truly dead and that there may be a way for him to save her.

Robert Pattinson’s performance as the titular Heron is the GKIDS dub’s highlight. Pattinson does a great job at capturing the mystery and strangeness of the character, and he has gripping chemistry with Luca Padovan, the person voicing Mahito Maki. The rest of the cast is also fantastic, with Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Willem Dafoe, and Dave Bautista giving great performances. The only knock against this dub is that it opted to use The Boy and the Heron title rather than the infinitely more appropriate Japanese title of How Do You Live?.

1 Disney’s Howl’s Moving Castle Dub Is Carried By One Performance

One of the most beloved Studio Ghibli movies of all time, 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle follows Sophie, a young girl cursed by the Witch of the Waste and turned into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to undo the curse, she ends up living with Howl, a dashing wizard who lives in a gigantic, ever-moving castle. However, Sophie soon finds herself in the middle of a much bigger situation.

This dub has an all-star cast, including Jean Simmons as Sophie, Billy Crystal as Calcifer, and Crispin Freeman as Turnip Head. However, this dub is made by Christian Bale’s performance as Howl. He perfectly captures the character’s charisma and radiating insecurities, adding plenty of emotion to the movie. This leads to a vastly enjoyable dub experience that perfectly captures everything that makes the film memorable. Because of this, Howl’s Moving Castle is the best English dub of a Studio Ghibli film.

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  Howl’s Moving Castle

  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.

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  Studio Ghibli

  Studio Ghibli, Inc. is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has expanded its portfolio to include various media formats, such as short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. Their work has been well-received by audiences and recognized with numerous awards. Their mascot and most recognizable symbol, the character Totoro from the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro, is a giant spirit inspired by tanukis and cats .