“My favourite Miyazaki film is Spirited Away. A thousand percent.”

Peter Sohn (Elemental, The Good Dinosaur) shares his deep admiration for the artistry and storytelling prowess of Studio Ghibli, discussing his top picks (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke) and what makes them so special to fans.

POP Japan is a series celebrating the convergence of the cult, pulp, and popular in Japanese film and art, running at TIFF Bell Lightbox until June 27. POP Japan includes three film series: Seijun Suzuki (Kagero-za, A Tale of Sorrow and Sadness, Tokyo Drifter), marking the iconoclast director’s centenary with six 35mm prints; World of Anime (Ghost in the Shell, Paprika, A Silent Voice: The Movie), a survey of Japan’s most influential anime, co-curated by Yuki Ohsawa; and Miyazaki Spotlight (My Neighbor Totoro, Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, Spirited Away, The Wind Rises), a four-film ode to the “godfather of animation” and co-founder of Studio Ghibli.