1. Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城)
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
It has an average vote of 8.412 on TMDB.
2. Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫)
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
It has an average vote of 8.34 on TMDB.
3. My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ)
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
It has an average vote of 8.073 on TMDB.
4. Your Name. (君の名は。)
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.
It has an average vote of 8.496 on TMDB.
5. Parasite (기생충)
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
It has an average vote of 8.511 on TMDB.
6. Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella)
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
It has an average vote of 8.451 on TMDB.
7. Ponyo (崖の上のポニョ)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
It has an average vote of 7.747 on TMDB.
8. The Green Mile
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
It has an average vote of 8.506 on TMDB.
9. Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓)
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
It has an average vote of 8.464 on TMDB.
10. Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ)
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
It has an average vote of 7.978 on TMDB.
11. Pulp Fiction
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
It has an average vote of 8.489 on TMDB.
12. The Secret World of Arrietty (借りぐらしのアリエッティ)
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
It has an average vote of 7.655 on TMDB.
13. The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し)
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
14. 12 Angry Men
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
It has an average vote of 8.542 on TMDB.
15. The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ)
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
It has an average vote of 7.783 on TMDB.
16. Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便)
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
It has an average vote of 7.828 on TMDB.
17. City of God (Cidade de Deus)
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
It has an average vote of 8.429 on TMDB.
18. Schindler's List
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
It has an average vote of 8.568 on TMDB.
19. Porco Rosso (紅の豚)
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
It has an average vote of 7.798 on TMDB.
20. Forrest Gump
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
It has an average vote of 8.475 on TMDB.