I must say its interesting that I have seen several of their movies but never knew that there was a whole studio like Disney behind it.

Oh dear, now I'm glad to never have seen the mutilated version, it might have completely destroyed this excellent movie for me.
My Blu-Ray has the 117min version and so did my DVD.

I guess the short version is quite boring since it can't build up to any moment the right way.

So did anyone in the US watched, When Marnie Was There?

What could be the last Ghibli film in awhile.

Top 3 Ghibli would probably be Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. I've seen Nausicaa, but that one felt a little too schlocky to me.

I live in Japan, am a huge Studio Ghibli fan, and I haven't even seen it yet. I completely forgot it had been released.

This is the reason why they are on the brink. They don't sacrifice their artistic visions or budgets for the sake of commercialism and profits, and they are losing massive ground and influence to the companies that put out absolute shit but know how to market the hell out of it and cater the content to fit the highest rate of return and the lowest common denominator.

It's a bit of a catch-22 situation. Their artistic integrity is what makes them fantasic and unique, however it is also the reason why they can't seem to keep the company viable and the money flowing in.

Now that they are in restructure mode, I do wonder what direction the company will go in next. I actually have an inkling that the powers that be at Disney are trying to extend their reach even further than it already is and trying to acquire them. If such a move were to occur, it could either be a complete disgrace or it could turn out to be the just the marketing boost and directive that they needed -- so long as Disney mostly stays out of their creative space. One part of me would probably crap my pants in excitement to see GhibliLand Amusement Parks come to fruition, but the commercial aspect of it also somehow makes my soul feel empty.

Still think Disney's Fantasia is the pinnicle of what animation can do, have you seen Fantasia 2000's The Firebird

https://vimeo.com/36277436

Top that Ghibli ;)

Anyway I know a "Website" that can make me watch a bunch of Anime so after my Star Trek time I'll give Ghibli a watch. Naussica looks pretty awesome.

Oh certainly, I also adore Disney's great works of animation. I love their classic works, their 80's/90's renaissance stuff, and their recent CGI stuff too. Fantasia is one of my favorite films of all time. Both studios are masterful at what they do, and they are also quite different and not really directly comparable in an objective way.

Anyhow, yes, given your anime preferences it seems like Nausicaa would be a good fit, as would the other suggestions of Mononoke Hime. I also think most people growing up with toonami would appreciate Pom Poko quite a bit, even though it is one of the lesser talked about Ghibli films.

I'll try to watch the less action pack ones like Totoro, Kiki, and Spirited Away, even Ponyo.