Oh! That is a spinoff/sequel to my partner's all time favorite Ghibli movie, "Whisper of the Heart", which is so adolescently earnest it shouldn't work but kinda does. Try that one, although it's less fantastical. Also on netflix at the moment.
The guy who directed Whisper of the Heart was sort of chosen to continue the Ghibli dynasty beyond Miyazaki and Takahata, the two main guys, who were getting old and wanting to retire even in the 90s, but then he died in his 40s after making that one movie and the two old dudes kept making movies for another 25 years. The Takahata/Miyazaki ones are generally the most popular but these lesser-known ones are good too.
The guy who directed Whisper of the Heart was sort of chosen to continue the Ghibli dynasty beyond Miyazaki and Takahata, the two main guys, who were getting old and wanting to retire even in the 90s, but then he died in his 40s after making that one movie and the two old dudes kept making movies for another 25 years. The Takahata/Miyazaki ones are generally the most popular but these lesser-known ones are good too.
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