>>32948
all of them anon. just start watching

easy answer: all of them, but you may omit the movies of Goro Miyazaki and Ocean Waves (TV movie).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli#Films

we've just recently had a thread ranking all the ghibli movies: >>28262

going by that thread i'd say Mononoke-hime, Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service are top notch by /wsr/ consensus

>>33078
Seconded.

>>33078
It's true that they're all great, though you should consider that they're also the most watched Ghibli movies. So it makes sense they're the most voted.

>>33096
i agree, but i'd just like to point out that OP asked for "essential" movies, not "best". to me that entails (among other things) "when other people talk about ghibili - what do i have to know to not look like a dumbass?"

so the metric of most voted might be more useful than you give it credit for.

>>32968
Ocean Waves is one of the best, there is no reason to skip it at all.

>>33147
your point is valid. Pardon the hipsterism, but i also read "essential" as most germane to discussion, which would include not only the most popular, but also those movies that are formative for the media, thematically exceptional, as well as movies that may have a niche appeal.

as an example, nausicaa and the valley of the wind isnt a ghibli movie as it predates the studio, but nearly everyone in the previous thread included it, due to its heritage and miyazaki's role in it.

>>32968
Ocean Waves is top tier Ghibli.