Also known as Castle in the Sky, this was the first film to be animated by Studio Ghibli. The story was partly inspired by Hayao Miyazaki visiting Wales and learning about the 1984 coal miners' strike.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and based on his 1982 manga, is a Japanese post-apocalyptic anime fantasy film. Although it was not released by Studio Ghibli initially, it is often considered the first Ghibli film. It marks the first time Miyazaki collaborated with score composer Joe Hisaishi.