Many a millennial would make the argument that if a movie isn’t on Netflix, it isn’t worth watching. After all, if it’s not on Netflix, how would you even find it? Does it even exist?

All kidding aside, if you decide to venture away from Netflix for some viewing pleasure (which I highly recommend doing every once in a while), do yourself a favor and check out the films of renowned Japanese Anime director Hayao Miyazaki. Alongside his production company, Studio Ghibli, over the past thirty years Miyazaki has created some of the most beautiful and well-known animated films in history. Even if you don’t necessarily deem yourself the type of person to enjoy animated movies, I encourage you to give these a try, and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Here are four to start off with.

1. Spirited Away

Release Date: 2001

Chihiro doesn’t know what she’s getting into when she goes into an abandoned amusement park with her parents, and trust me, you won’t either when you start watching "Spirited Away." What begins as a film about an anxious little girl gets exciting fast when Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs and she is simultaneously cast into the spirit world. From there she must survive frightening and nice spirits alike as she tries to get her parents returned to their human state and get them all back into the real world. While Chihiro’s adventure contains some thrilling elements that might make it scary for small children, "Spirited Away" is generally family friendly and has the most beautiful cinematography and soundtrack of any movie I’ve ever seen. It is the most successful film in Japanese history, and the only one of Miyazaki’s films to ever win an American Academy Award.

2. My Neighbor Totoro

Release Date: 1988

Watching "My Neighbor Totoro" is like revisiting the most wonderful parts of your childhood, where fairytales were real, your parents were your heroes (though hopefully they still are), “fun” consisted of laughing your head off while being chased around, and anything was possible. In one of Miyazaki’s debut masterpieces, sisters Mei and Satsuki move to the Japanese countryside with their father while their mother is in the hospital. The countryside, which originally seems to be a serene and boring place, quickly reveals itself to the family as a land full of spirits and magical creatures, known as Totoro. The creatures are more mysterious and whimsical than spooky and creepy, making this movie a joy to watch, regardless if you are actually a kid or someone in your twenties trying to bring out your inner child. You won’t regret making the effort.

3. Howl's Moving Castle

Release Date: 2004

This movie is hands-down a masterpiece, and you will be hard pressed to find a more unique love story. Based on a book of the same title, "Howl’s Moving Castle" involves just that- a moving castle belonging to an extraordinarily handsome and interesting man named Howl. The “castle” is not a prestigious establishment but actually a large fantastic trash heap of various dirty objects with legs attached to it. The fact that this pile of garbage contains spacious and fully furnished rooms within it is pretty magical in and of itself, but it doesn’t compare in the slightest to Howl, who is actually a powerful, magical, and mysterious wizard. He lives in the castle with a sassy, literal flame, which serves as its fuel source, a scarecrow, and a small boy, Markl (voiced by young Josh Hutcherson). They live a peaceful, if not bizarre, life, until the arrival of Sophie, the protagonist, who comes to Howl for help after being transformed into a 90-year-old woman by a witch. Howl hires Sophie as a cleaning lady for the castle and embarks on an adventure with her, as well as the other tenants of the castle, in order to get Sophie returned to her original state, and end the war that has recently overtaken the country they live in. Howl’s Moving Castle has an incredible soundtrack, and the American version has an all-star voice cast including Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, and Billy Crystal. I know the plot of this film seems odd, and it is, but it’s also a fantastic refresher from the mundane romance flicks that are currently sweeping the big and small screens.

4. Princess Mononoke

Release Date: 1997

While "Princess Mononoke" is arguably the most epic and violent of Miyazaki's films, the facts that it still manages to display such a strong essence of "Miyazaki Magic", and that it is universally regarded as one of his best films earn it a spot on this list. The story takes place in a battle between forest gods and humans, where a prince named Ashitaka journeys into the dangerous forest in order to find a cure for a demon's curse. There he encounters San (Princess Mononoke), who is a human woman raised by wolves. The film portrays an age-old struggle between the natural and the unnatural, as well as the importance of recognizing the Earth's beauty. Princess Mononoke is an incredible 133 minutes of action-packed fantasy and thought provoking dialogue.