If you are fond of Japanese animations, you already might have heard of Spirited Away. It's a story of a young girl who get's lost in a mysterious temple where her parents were turned to pigs and in order to save them, she serves in a bathhouse for spirits. This is an internationally celebrated film by Hayao Miyazaki, which he created together with Studio Ghibli.

Curious with his other creations, I researched for his other films. I was not disappointed  because they are just as good as Spirited Away. I enjoyed every one of them because they enticed the child in me, feeling the thrill of a magical adventure comparable to CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and also to Walt Disney's tales. Miyazaki weaves out a unique universe with each of his films with creatures that exists only in his world.

In watching each movie, I noticed common themes in his creations. Here are some that are worth mentioning:

Magic
Fairy tales will always have this ingredient. In his stories, magic is presented like it's the next most common thing in the world. It would be really nice to make a visit to one of these worlds, right?

Flight
Mr. Miyazaki has a fascination for 'flying'. Notice in his creations, there are lots of aerial views and his characters can fly.

Kiki flying in her broom in Kiki's Delivery Service

Nausicaä's glider in  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Marco's plane in Porco Rosso

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Feminism
If you have watched several of Miyazaki's films, surely you won't miss this one out. It's very apparent in his works. There is always a strong woman in his story, even if it's the protagonist or the antagonist one. Girl power is almost always evident on each of the plot.

The Castle In the Sky

Sheeta, the heir princess that possesses the enchanted amulet of Laputa

Dola and her sons, the pirates that want possession of the amulet

Porco Rosso

Madame Gina, the singer in the bar that is adored by pirates

Fio, the engineer that repairs Porco's broken plane

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 

princess Nausicaä saves her people from the attack of insects

Princess Mononoke

San aka Princess Mononoke protects the forest together with the wolf gods

Lady Eboshi is the leader of a town of lepers and prostitutes

Spirited Away

Chihiro works for the bath house to save her parents who were transformed into pigs

Yubaba is the owner of the bath house where Chihiro will work

Nature
Most of the films, if not in another world, are set in the countryside. You will begin to appreciate nature as it is by seeing the green trees and blue waters showed in the films. He seems to be a pro-green revolution because most of his films depict the destruction that human kind causes on nature.

Laputa robot in The Castle in the Sky

various marine life as shown in Ponyo

Totoro's sleeping haven in My Neighbor Totoro

Totoro teaches the kids how to grow the seeds

the jungle in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

various garbages are in the sea bed showing water pollution in Ponyo

Unusual Creatures