The last time Seattle saw a retrospective of Studio Ghibli was waaay back in 1999 at the Egyptian, hosted by Landmark Theaters. Landmark thoughtfully knew to present a series spanning the decades of their incomparable animated tales with both dubbed (for the tikes) and subtitled (for the adults) prints, screening the former by day, and the latter by night. Seemingly taking their cue from this, SIFF now over a decade later brings their most notable works in both dubbed and subtitled prints, as "Castles in the Sky: Miyazaki, Takahata and the Masters of Studio Ghibli" featuring the just about unheard of *15 Films*, by this world renowned animation studio. Including Princess Mononoke • Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind • My Neighbor Totoro • Spirited Away • Howl's Moving Castle • Laputa: Castle in the Sky • Kiki's Delivery Service • Whisper of the Heart • Pom Poko • My Neighbors the Yamadas • Only Yesterday • Porco Rosso • The Cat Returns • Ocean Waves and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The work of Miyazaki, Takahata, Suzuki, Yonebayashi, et al is at the top of just about any and all cinema lists I've ever put together in the course of my life - regardless of the fact that it's animation and these are tales intended for children. I value these films that highly. The incomparable, Studio Ghibli.
