Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (星を追う子ども) (lit. “Children Who Chase Stars”)

Synopsis: The movie follows a young girl named Asuna who is living a standard life in small-town Japan after the death of her father as she discovers that there is a hidden world underground replete with fantastic creatures and a surprising history that may hold the key to resurrecting the dead.

Reason: Watching this movie will give any anime fan a lot of flashbacks to the heyday of Studio Ghibli fantasy adventures, but this movie really is much more than just a Ghibli clone. Children Who Chase Lost Voices skews toward an older audience than other fantasy adventures dealing thematically with such subject matter as coping with loss and the purpose/inevitability of death while including the beautiful sweeping vistas and intricately detailed environments that Shinkai films are known for. Certainly the best fantasy adventure anime to come out in a long while.