Studio Ghibli

First of all, yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, please do that, Ghibli is magic. I started putting Ghibli movies in the hands of my little sister when she was very young, and now she's almost 22 and they still remain among her favorite-ever movies.

I'd say that the age range definitely varies from film to film. Some of them have pretty adult themes, war and death are common, but there are definitely a few that are firmly aimed at and totally appropriate for younger kids. I'll give you two shortlists; i've left out all of the more adult-themed entries in the Ghibli collection.

To me, these are 100% all-ages:

*Ponyo - (this may be the most all-ages and totally kid-friendly of them all, and it's delightful, though there is a flood in the middle, so even this is not without a mildly-dark bit)

*My Neighbor Totoro (forest spirits in rural Japan befriend some young children protagonists)

*Kiki's Delivery Service (young girl just starting out as a witch, but not at all a scary witch; she becomes a delivery person on a broomstick)

*The Cat Returns (young girl protagonist has adventure with anthropomorphized cats)

*Arrietty - (this is an adaptation of the children's lit classic, 'The Borrowers')


And these are potentially all-ages depending on an individual's taste and standards, but could also have some slightly dark bits or themes in them:

*Spirited Away (young girl protagonist, lost in a colorful spirit world; a couple of slightly intense scenes, but this is such a masterpiece, I would encourage you to watch it yourself and consider it)

*Castle in the Sky (young boy and young girl protagonist on an adventure to rediscover lost floating cities; some aerial dogfighting with sky-pirates)

*Pom Poko (raccoon/nature-spirit protagonists; deals with the effects of urbanization and industrialization on nature)