1 - Nausicaä of the valley of the wind: a pure masterpiece yet so unknown
2 - Spirited away: the master at the top of his art, what else ?
3 - Princess Mononoke: a must see
I'm not trying to bring the thread down. But you wouldn't believe how much more frightening the giant wave scenes in Ponyo are, after seeing all the footage of the people and homes drowning away from the tsunami in Japan.