Ghibli Fest

I've known about Studio Ghibli films for what seems like forever, but I've never actually seen any of them (until now)!  I am not sure if this was because they generally weren't coming out in the late 2010s, when I was starting to take my kids to the movies.  So instead I took them to Pixar movies like Wall-E and Up and then later Inside Out and The Incredibles 2.*  I am a little sorry that my daughter missed out on the classic era of Studio Ghibli.  Right now she is far too mature to go see kids' movies, but maybe she will give them another chance some day.

At any rate, I saw that Cineplex was doing a Family Favourites event where the movie price was quite low ($3.50), and they were showing My Neighbor Totoro, which seemed like as good a starting point as any.  There were indeed many children at the screening and probably not all that many childless adults.  But it was emotionally pretty complex, and I thought it was worth seeing (and better in the cinema than just streaming it).

Cineplex was promoting a Studio Ghibli fest.  I think a couple of the films have already been shown, but it is a strong line up, running from this weekend to late Oct.  In terms of this summer, I would probably check out Kiki's Delivery Service running June 11-14.  If I'm around, I'd look into Castle in the Sky on July 10-12.  There are a few more I might check out in the fall, but it is also possible that they will turn up in other venues.  For instance, this summer Tiff is showing 4 animated films directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  One of them is My Neighbor Totoro on May 30, and I think I can safely pass on seeing that a second time.  But they are showing Spirited Away on June 4 and then The Wind Rises on June 17, and I'll see if I can make it to both of those.  If I do manage to make it to most of these screenings and a few in the fall, I would just need to supplement with Grave of the Fireflies and Whisper of the Heart, so I'll see if either of those turn up at one of the few remaining second-run theatres in Toronto.

* I think the most obnoxious thing about Disney taking over Pixar is that the rule against sequels has been completely demolished.  While Toy Story 2 (and maybe 3) and Incredibles 2 can certainly be justified, they are pretty far down the rabbit hole at this point.  I've heard that there will likely be Incredibles 3, which will at least be action-packed and probably Inside Out 2, which I don't think anyone was calling for...  Sigh.