List of Studio Ghibli films by rating

This article details the content ratings given to Studio Ghibli films by film rating authorities of English speaking countries, notably the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the Irish Film Censors/Classification Office (IFCO), the Australian Classification Board (ACB), or New Zealand's Classification Office (OFLC). Ratings generally fall into one of general audience ("G" or "U"), parental guidance ("PG" or "M"), or age restricted ("PG-13" or "12").

Ratings

	BBFC†	IFCO	MPAA	ACB	OFLC
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Castle in the Sky	PG	G	PG	G	PG
Grave of the Fireflies	12	12	N/A	M	M
My Neighbor Totoro	U	G	G	G	G
Kiki's Delivery Service	U	G	G	G	PG
Only Yesterday	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Porco Rosso	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Ocean Waves	PG	PG	PG-13	PG	PG
Pom Poko	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Whisper of the Heart	U	G	G	PG	PG
Princess Mononoke	PG	12	PG-13	M	PG
My Neighbors the Yamadas	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
Spirited Away	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
The Cat Returns	U	G	G	G	G
Howl's Moving Castle	U	G	PG	PG	PG
Tales from Earthsea	PG	PG	PG-13	M	M
Ponyo	U	G	G	G	G
The Secret World of Arrietty	U	G	G	G	G
From Up on Poppy Hill	U	G	PG	G	G
The Wind Rises	PG	PG	PG-13	PG	PG
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya	U	PG	PG	PG	PG
When Marnie Was There	U	PG	PG	PG	PG
Earwig and the Witch	PG	PG	PG	PG	PG
The Boy and the Heron	12A	12A	PG-13	PG	PG

† All Studio Ghibli film ratings by BBFC coincidentally matches those by MPA-Canada.

Princess Mononoke

Characters in Princess Mononoke are killed by arrow shots that blow off heads and limbs.

Princess Mononoke features fantasy violence, including blood and decapitations; the BBFC rated it 'PG', the ACB and OFLC rated it 'M', whereas the MPAA and the IFCO rated it a more restrictive 'PG-13' and '12', respectively. The age appropriateness of the film is a matter of continued debate in fan communities, and highlights different cultural attitudes towards fictional violence and animation as a medium. The MPAA rationale for the rating simply notes "images of violence and gore.". The ACB and OFLC rated it on the grounds of "moderate animated violence" and "violence", respectively. The BBFC goes into further detail, describing the violence as follows:

There are several scenes featuring violence, including the shooting of arrows which cut off arms and heads. There is also some slashing with a dagger, resulting in a cut to a man's cheek, and sight of a character being stabbed in the stomach and another character being shot. There are some bloody images, including blood being sucked from a wolf's wound, blood oozing from a character's wound, and worm like creatures crawling over characters.

The BBFC still rated in 'PG' however, remaining consistent with their own criteria: all animated violence is viewed as necessarily unrealistic; for example the anime AKIRA (1988) at its 1990 UK theatrical release was given the rating of '12' only the basis of infrequent bad language, despite featuring strong bloody violence that conceivably would have earned it an '18' if it were live action. Moreover, violence in movies is only seriously accounted for by the BBFC if it "emphasises detail of harm"; scenes of death and decapitation in the film are rapid and clean, and do not focus on gory details.

A case study published by the BBFC focusing on the The Lego Movie (2014) explored whether scenes of decapitation necessarily affects a film's rating at all. In consultation with parents and children, a Lego mini-figure having its head removed and "dying" was not deemed to affect its 'U' (general audience) rating. Although The Lego Movie is very different to Princess Mononoke, it does highlight how criteria is interpreted for animated films and how cartoonish or fantasy contexts - arguably applicable to Princess Mononoke - is accounted for.

Overall, there is a more practical debate as to whether Princess Mononoke is appropriate for family viewing. A submission on reddit's "r/ghibli" subreddit expressed incredulity at Netflix recommending the film as "family animation", generating some mixed responses by other users. One user insisted that it's enjoyed by their 6 and 12 year old daughters, with other users recall watching in it in childhood and that the film's message is more notable aspect of the film than the violence.

The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron features bloody images; the BBFC more narrowly identified the scene where Mahito strikes himself in the head with a rock as "self harm". Film critic Mark Kermode noted that this is a somewhat exceptional level of textual analysis captured by the board, as Mahito's injury is not exactly explained the film.

A boy, while grieving the loss of his mother and becoming accustomed to his new home, strikes himself in the face with a rock, causing a gush of blood down the side of his face.

See also

• German Ghibli wiki: Eltern Informationen (FSK ratings information)