Rank/rate Hayao Miyazaki's feature films

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Kiki's Delivery Service
Spirited Away
Castle in the Sky
My Neighbor Totoro

Mehhh, why not

1. Princess Mononoke - One of my all time favorite films.  BY FAR my favorite from him.   It's everything I could ask for in a film, the world building, the surrealism, the inherently dark subject matter.   Not to mention, highly entertaining. One thing this had over Castle in the Sky that makes this stand out is the world transformations, where Castle in the Sky just seems to build imagination, Princess Mononoke can often make something out of where appears to be very little there, and becomes a total immersion just like that.  And I think that's what makes this the masterpiece it's acclaimed as. Princess and Spirited are his two most acclaimed films based on what I observe around.  9

2. My Neighbor Totoro - The precursor to Happy-Go-Lucky.  The tone fits the simplicity.  A slice of life that finds its great moments, without fully appealing to children or anything.  8

3. Castle in the Sky - Essentially my type of film.  Should be one of my favorites, but not quite.  The surrealism is definitely on point, but the problem is that it's a bit fairy-tale princess-ish, compared to Mononoke which avoids anything like that.  Also, it's a little bit overdone.  Miyazaki is an ambitious artist, but sometimes less is more effective, like Totoro.  Though this is one of the ones I can see increasing when I rewatch it though, at least up to an 8.  I'll settle with a 7.5, but it's really middling between an 8, definite 7.75 though

4. Spirited Away - Japanese surrealism at its definitive peak.  It's a bit inaccessible to me personally, though I can see why it's considered so great.  Not really one of my favorites though.  7.5

5. Kiki's Delivery Service - Used to be my favorite from him.  The reason is because this by far his youngest film, every other film I would argue can appeal to older people, but this appeals to 9 year olds.  I downgraded it by a few points because I no longer respond to a film about a child finding her identity, through her youthful sadness, or anything.  7.5, but more like a 7.25

6. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Pretty good, an early precursor to some of his later classics.  Nothing bad, but nothing you can't find in his other films.   7, but more like a 7.25, definitely need a rewatch.

7. Howl's Moving Castle - Definitely need a rewatch, because I remember nothing.  I can definitely see this being the one that increases the most upon a rewatch though, because I think it has a solid structure and lots of subject to work with.  I'll give it a 7 for now.

8. Porco Rosso - Good, but nothing special.  Doesn't help that I'm not interested in the era it depicts.  7

9. Castle of Cagliostro - Need to rewatch, remember it being right in the middle of a pretty dead and dry period of animation.  And it was 1988 that brought animation back into a golden age, where previously it was the 30s-early 50s, up to Peter Pan (1953) that might be considered a first golden age of animation.  6

10. Ponyo - cute fluff, but not sure if I wanna rewatch it.  6

Spirited Away - 10
Princess Mononoke - 10
My Neighbor Totoro - 10
The Wind Rises - 10
Kiki's Delivery Service - 9.5
Castle in The Sky - 9.5
Howl's Moving Castle - 9
Nausicca - 8.5
Porco Rosso - 8
Lupin III - 8
Ponyo - 7.5

7
11. Cagliostro
10. Nausicaa
09. Porco Rosso
08. Howl

8
07. Laputa

9
06. Ponyo

10
05. Kiki
04. Totoro
03. The Wind Rises
02. Mononoke
01. Spirited Away

Updated.

1. Spirited Away
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. The Wind Rises
4. Howl's Moving Castle
5. Kiki's Delivery Service
6. Porco Rosso
7. Princess Mononoke
8. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
9. Castle in the Sky
10. Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
11. Ponyo

one of the greatest


Spiritied Away
Princess Mononoke
The Wind Rises
Kiki's Delivery Service


Porco Rosso
Ponyo
Nauisicaä of the Valley of the Wind


My Neighbor Totoro
Castle in the Sky


Howl's Moving Castle

n/s lupin

1. Spirited Away
2. Kiki's Delivery Service

3. Princess Mononoke
4. The Wind Rises

5. My Neighbor Totoro
6. Castle in the Sky
7. Nasuicaa of the Valley of the Wind

8. Porco Rosso
9. Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro
10. Ponyo
11. Howl's Moving Castle

Porco Rosso (1992)
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)


Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)
Castle in the Sky (1986)


Sherlock Hound: The Movie 2 (1986)
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Princess Mononoke (1997)


Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
The Wind Rises (2013)


Spirited Away (2001)

/

Only his directed films, but Whisper of the Heart (1995) that he wrote and storyboarded would be in the topmost group.

Anybody see The Boy and the Heron yet? and where do you predict it'll place on your lists...

10/10
1. The Wind Rises
2. Kiki's Delivery Service
3. Spirited Away

9.5/10
4. Princess Mononoke
5. My Neighbor Totoro
6. Howl's Moving Castle
7. Porco Rosso

9/10
8. Ponyo

8.5/10
9. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

8/10
10. Castle in the Sky

7.5/10
11. The Castle of Cagliostro

He's just the best.

Not to hijack Miyazaki's thread but his pal was great too, and was perhaps the more adventurous one of the pair... even if that could lead to some messiness (Pom Poko). But it's Takahata who's made my favorite movie between the two of them which just happens to be my favorite animated film of all time too - Only Yesterday.