The stories ofHayao MiyazakiandStudio Ghibliare consistently some of the most magical and wondrous to be put to film. While there are a lot of different elements that go into crafting that magic, varying from the hand-drawn animation to the impeccable writing, one of the most important is the music. There have been a handful of composers that have worked on Studio Ghibli films over the years, but only one of them has ever worked alongside Hayao Miyazaki, and that’s the immensely talentedJoe Hisaishi.
Miyazaki and Hisaishi make for a phenomenal duo, and they deserve to be considered among the all-time great director and composer pairings, alongside Steven Spielberg/John Williams and Christopher Nolan/Hans Zimmer.
Hisaishi has composed the score for every one of Miyazaki’s films with Studio Ghibli, including the proto-Ghibli filmNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. While the composer has worked on many films beyond his collaborations with Miyazaki, including the Studio Ghibli filmThe Tale of the Princess Kaguya, his works in Miyazaki’s films are often his most highly praised and beloved.
Much of this work can also be heard in a new context inthe recently-released album from Hisaishi,A Symphonic Celebration, in which the composer worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from London to bring these songs new life. It’s a real shame that Hisaishi has yet to receive an Oscar nomination for any of his music, and we wanted to do our part in giving the incredible composer the recognition he deserves. While all his scores have something great to offer, here is how they all rank when compared to one another:
10Porco Rosso (1992)
Miyazaki’s aerial dogfighting filmPorco Rossois often one of his most overlooked. However, the film has a lot of great material to offer its viewers, including a solid score from Hisaishi. While the music ofPorco Rossomay be at the bottom of this list, don’t take that as saying that it’s not top-notch.
Hisaishi thrillingly scores the film’s various aerial combat sequences, and yet he still works plenty of emotion and personality into the music as well, especially in tracks like “Bygone Days.”
9Castle in the Sky (1986)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky, otherwise known more simply asCastle in the Sky, was the first film to be officially released by Studio Ghibli. Hisaishi has proven to be an essential contributor to the magic of Ghibli from the very beginning, as his score forLaputais one of the best aspects of the film.
The music has a sense of mischief and mystery to it, as shown in “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky,” which builds upon the journey central to the film’s story. Beyond that, the score also carries the perfect amount of gravitas and ambition to match the awe of the eponymous Castle in the Sky itself.
8Ponyo (2008)
Ponyois one of the newer films from Miyazaki, relatively speaking, yet it harkens back to the director’s earlier works likeMy Neighbor TotoroandKiki’s Delivery Servicewithits childlike sense of wonder. Hisaishi also stepped up to the plate forPonyo, as he delivered a nonstop ride of some of his most amusing and catchy music yet.
The angelic vocals on the song “Mother Sea” capture the majesty of the ocean and the life within it. Plus, it’s hard to watch the film or listen to the soundtrack and not have the refrain of “Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo, fishy in the sea” stuck in your head for several days afterward.
7Spirited Away (2001)
This might be a bit of a controversial ranking, as bothSpirited Awayand the music within it are often considered to be some ofthe best works ever to come from Studio Ghibli. For good reason, too, Hisaishi’s score forSpirited Awaycontains some of his most dynamic and exciting music to date. Its placement here on this list is more of a testament to how phenomenal the rest of his scores are, rather than anything particularly wrong with this one.
“One Summer Day” is one of the best accompanying songs in a Miyazaki film, and Hisaishi’s recurring use of the main melody from that song throughout the score is one of the best uses of a theme in any of his scores.
Related:Best Coming-of-Age Movies of the 2000s
6Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Miyazaki’s 2004 filmHowl’s Moving Castleis a fan-favorite, and Hisaishi’s score is a central part of what makes the film work so well. While Miyazaki’s filmography is full of magical stories,Howl’s Moving Castleisone of the most whimsical.
The music from Hisaishi matches that aura of fantasy, as the composer introduces some new soundscapes into his work, such as organs, that really do a lot to build out the world. On top of that, the song “Merry-Go-Round of Life” is one of the best from any Ghibli film.
5Nausicaäof the Valley of the Wind (1984)
AlthoughNausicaä of the Valley of the Windwasn’t technically produced by Studio Ghibli, it was from the core creative team that would go on to build the studio, and as such it has retroactively been folded into the Ghibli’s filmography.Nausicaäis arguablythe most high-fantasy story that Miyazaki has ever told. It was also his first major collaboration with Hisaishi, and the composer delivered a fantasy score unlike any other.
Instead of relying purely on the classical instrumentation that is often used in fantasy films, Hisaishi embraced electronic soundscapes. With his score forNausicaä,he plays with all sorts of synthesizers and intermixes them with various acoustic instruments as well. The result is a truly phenomenal and original score in every sense.
4My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
My Neighbor Totoroisn’t just considered one of Miyazaki’s best, or one of Studio Ghibli’s best for that matter, it is often in the conversation as one of the best animated features ever produced.It’s an all-time classic, and the music from Hisaishi is some of the most instantly recognizable of the composer’s career.
From the opening “Hey Let’s Go” to the song for the Cat Bus, Totoro’s theme, the song “A Huge Tree in the Tsukamori Forest” and so many other tracks, every musical motif, theme and passage inMy Neighbor Totoroperfectly builds on the environment, story and general mood of the movie.
3The Wind Rises (2013)
With his score forThe Wind Rises, Hisaishi stripped everything back and chose to keep the music as simple as he could as often as he could. He made frequent use of solo instrumentation, such as on the plucked strings on “A Journey (A Dream of Flight)” and the piano on “Nahoko (The Encounter).” This seeming simplicity results in some of the most beautiful songs that Hisaishi has ever written.
It also mirrors Miyazaki’s approach to the film itself, asThe Wind Risesis the most grounded and emotional film that the director has ever produced. That doesn’t mean there’s no excitement to the score at all, though, as there is plenty of energy to be found on tracks like “The Refuge” and “The Falcon” as well.
Related:The Wind Rises: Revisiting Hayao Miyazaki’s Dream of Flight
2Princess Mononoke (1997)
Princess Mononokeis, without a doubt, the most intense and adult film that Miyazaki has directed. It’s a complex and often violent story about the dangers of industrialization and the sanctity of nature. As such, Hisaishi was also tasked with creating a score with a bit more of an edge to it than his previous works. He proved his was more than up to the task, especially on songs like “The Demon God,” which sounds like something directly out of a horror movie.
In addition to that, though, Hisaishi also delivers some of his most awe-inspiring songs in the score toPrincess Mononoke, specifically in tracks like the primary “Princess Mononoke Theme Song.”
1Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
Finally, nothing can quite beat the warm tones and comfort that comes from the score toKiki’s Delivery Service. From the gentle piccolo and flute passages in the song “On a Clear Day” to the soaring strings and soothing accordion used throughout the score, the score forKiki’s Delivery Servicenever fails to build upon the overall cheerful and heartfelt aura of the film.
The music forKiki’s Delivery Serviceis a perfect underscore for the film, and it even manages to thrive on its own two feet as well. It’s the kind of score that you can listen to at any point, and it will immediately transport into a mindset of joy and ease.Kiki’s Delivery Servicewas one of Hisaishi’s early collaborations with Miyazaki, and, with this film, both of them proved that they truly are masters of their individual crafts.
