It cost $20 million to make, took $50 million in its first 12 days on domestic release, eventually grossed $157 million, and, in doing so, overtook E.T. to set an all-time Japanese box office record. It stars the vocal talents of a superb ensemble cast (see above). Its English dub was written by cult comic scribe, Neil Gaiman. And it's been described as one of the best animated films ever. Hell, Disney were so impressed, they bought the entire output of the studio that made it, Studio Ghibli, for worldwide distribution. And, chances are, you've never even heard of it.

Stuck in an international limbo since its Japanese release in 1997— a year which, on the strength of this, Takeshi Kitano's Hana Bi and Shohei Imamura's Unagi, was later dubbed The Year Of The Japanese Film Phoenix' — Prince

See Full Page