There are a lot of Anime fans who despise dubbed Anime for whatever reason, and unfortunately there seem to be a majority of them in the Ghibli fandom. Despite all the resources and talented names commissioned to dub the movies, there are those who think they are all terrible. Which is totally unfortunate, because, frankly, the Ghibli dubs are some of the finest English tracks I've ever heard in years. It's true that some are better than others, but none of these dubs are awful in any way. When I evaluate the dubs, I do not make any comparisons to the original Japanese acting. Nor do I have strict expectations on absolute accuracy. I simply evaluate them by how fun and entertaining they are. So without further ado, I shall give my thoughts on all the Ghibli dubs released.

Kiki's Delivery Service--This was my first introduction to Miyazaki, and one that I hold close to my heart. Phil Hartman's Jiji is hilarious, Kirsten Dunst is appropriately cute and charismatic as Kiki, and the other voices are spot on, too. There are some musical alterations in the score, which admittingly are not as memorable as the remix in Castle in the Sky (which I'll come to momentarily), but Sydney Forest's replacement songs are lovely and fun to bounce to.

Princess Mononoke--Neil Gaiman was born to write the English script for this movie. His text impeccably captures the spirit of Miyazaki's drama and is well-supported by a talented ensemble. Billy Crudup, Minnie Driver, Gillian Anderson, and especially Keith David, all deliver strong, solid performances. Claire Danes sometimes misses a few lines, but otherwise she does a fine job as San. I don't really understand the controversy surrounding Billy Bob Thornton as Jigo; while his accent seemed out of place, I liked his performance a lot. He really brings out the smarmy nature of the character.

Castle in the Sky--Next to Totoro, I believe this to be the most controversial of the dubs (and grossly underrated)--it also happens to be one of my all-time favorites. Even though its more boisterous in nature than its somber Japanese counterpart, it works very well for this kind of action-adventure. And while the lead characters sound too mature, they're not that bad, and the rest of the supporting cast is excellent, and in the case of Dola and Muska, courtesy of a certain Cloris Leachman and a Jedi Knight we all know and love, fit their characters so well that they give the seiyuu a run for their yen. Joe Hisaishi's new musical score is a lovely bonus, too--it really showcases how far he's come as a composer.

My Neighbor Totoro--Yeah, I know, the FOX dub of this heartwarming masterpiece was good for its time (Carl Macek's finest hour, which is more than what I can say for the hideous initial dub of Laputa, which he didn't produce but was forced to distribute--Disney's is far better), but that by no means justifies the backlash against this newer version. It's a charming dub in its own right, and I thought Dakota and Elle Fanning did very good jobs as the sisters, Elle especially. Of course, Frank Welker shows off his impressive vocal effects as Totoro himself and the mysterious Cat Bus.

Spirited Away--Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent dub, but I feel that it's the most overrated of the Ghibli dubs. That is to say, I've heard many use this dub to put down the others unfairly. That's my only major problem with the dub, other than Daveigh Chase's sometimes overly whiney Chihiro, but everything else about it is top-notch. Suzanne Pleshette in particular is very good as Yubaba and her sister, Zeniba.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind--Very well done. Patrick Stewart is a wonderful choice for Lord Yupa, as are Uma Thurman as Kushana, Chris Sarandon as Kurotowa, and Mark Hamill, fresh from his outstanding turn as Muska from Castle in the Sky, doing a small cameo as the Pejite Mayor. Alison Lohman misses some of her lines, but not enough to detract from her overall performance. Shia LaBeouf is probably the only weak link; he sounds too stiff in his initial scenes, but he gradually improves from there.

Porco Rosso--Michael Keaton seems like an odd choice to play this pig-headed pilot, but he turned out to be an excellent one; his deadpan delivery and sarcastic nature is well-suited to Porco. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but it's Kimberly Williams-Paisley's Fio that makes the whole show; her chemistry with Keaton is a delight.

Howl's Moving Castle--A tad overrated, like Spirited Away, but still well done overall. The voices fit the characters well, but Billy Crystal really steals the show as Calcifer. It's somewhat odd that old Sophie has an American accent and young Sophie has a somewhat subdued British accent, but it's not a major problem.

Pom Poko--In what may be the most impossible Ghibli movie to translate, Disney rises up to the challenge and meets it with pleasing results. The songs, ghost stories, and even the "testicle" matter are all handled well in the dub, and it's interesting to note that this one does not contain any major "big-names".

My Neighbors the Yamadas--The casting is fine, especially Tress MacNeille as Grandma, but the translation is somewhat lacking. I felt there was a lot of Japanese humor that got somewhat lost in the conversion.

Whisper of the Heart--This is a very lovely dub. The characters are all well cast and deliver fine performances, especially Harold Gould and Cary Elwes as Nishi and the Baron. Kudos on handling the "Country Road" song effectively, too.

The Cat Returns--Probably one of my least favorite Ghibli dubs. It's good, but since I am not fond of this film it's one that I like listening to least of all, as I feel it gives the movie too much of a direct-to-video Disney sequel tone. Still, there's no denying that Cary Elwes is perfect as the Baron.

-Jon T.

Definitely for sure. I love ALL the dubs. Every single one of them. I'm such a huge Ghibli nerd when it comes to these films.

While I must say, Pixar did an Amazing job with the Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle dubs, I need to give Disney a lot of credit for actually giving translations for these movies.

What I love the most about them is that they do what no other anime does. They don't cut out bits that are necessary to it's story just because of it's violence. Nor do they dumb it down. The message Miyazaki conveys for each of his films are left in so that even American audiences know the story he wants to tell.

That's why I never associate with Purists. They seem to ruin the fun I have watching these films in both Languages because I love all the films in both the original and the English.

I recently got a chance to see "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" in the original Japanese language track with no subs. But I'm extremely curious as to what they'll do for that movie.

Overall, I'm glad there's people out there who give appreciation for both Language tracks for these amazing films. Thanks for sharing your opinion because I highly agree.

For these films, they're almost near perfection. No unnecessary cutting & great voice talents and direction. I have no favorite for Studio Ghibli. I love all the films.

Though I gotta say...the Totoro dub by Disney is so underrated

Yeah. Castle in the Sky is another underrated dub and that might be considered my favorite Miyazaki film. But I digress. I cannot choose a favorite T___T

One thing I hate the most about the purists towards these films is when they say "This is what Miyazaki would want you to see"

I think that's a load of BS seeing the fact that he approves of all of the dubs for his films. I'm glad I haven't seen "Warriors" either knowing that it completely ruined one of my favorite movies.

But why do you people even think that these dubs are the worst of the bunch? I've heard worse. 4-Kids anyone? What about ADV Films? Or Funimation? Or how about Dic?

All 3 of these companies have had their share of terrible dubs for great shows. Sonic X, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, One Piece...

All of those are far worse than what I see in the Studio Ghibli dubs.

Extra post.