In the past 24 hours, social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram have been crammed with a series of ‘Ghibli’ style images. From re-imagining live-action films to moments of daily personal lives, everything is trying to evoke the quintessential style of the studio. While it may appear pleasing and fantastical, it is ingrained with deep-seated problems. Even though it is just a fleeting trend, it undermines the creative vision and storytelling style of Studio Ghibli and its stakeholders. Moreover, it completely disregards why the studio uses certain visual elements to evoke desired reactions.

Studio Ghibli: visually representing culture and thought through the fantastical

Studio Ghibli is one of the front-running animated studios nestled in Tokyo, Japan. Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki founded the studio that redefined the contours of storytelling in 1985. The studio has gifted the world with exemplary works like ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘Howl’s Moving Castle,’ ‘My Neighbour Totoro,’ and ‘Princess Mononoke’ among others. Every film from the banner invites the viewers into a discourse on pressing issues through its surreal visual landscape.

Advertisement

The films are carefully created over months with intricately hand-crafted art that come together to tell a compelling story. Inviting viewers into an otherworldly and fantastical land brimming with imagination, the film transcends one into a different dimension. Ghibli films often feature a strong and young female protagonist who reclaims her agency and place in the world.

In his works, Miyazaki employs this creative liberty of the fantastical to manifest his desires and express his detachment from the world’s ills. Through colours, forms, and structures, the films successfully portray the creators’ love for Japanese culture, detachment from institutionalised wars, and the cry to preserve nature. For example, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ strongly conveys Miyazaki’s opposition to the United States invading Iraq in 2003. On the other hand, ‘Spirited Away’ revives Japanese folktales. It also sparks a conversation about capitalism and the employment of young children.

The viral Ghibli trend stirred by OpenAI’s ChatGPT

For the past few hours, the internet has been buzzing with images resonating with the signature style of Studio Ghibli. From pastel shades with warm undertones to soft lines, and a sombre atmosphere, the AI-generated reeks of the major studios’ appealing style of carefully crafted visuals. OpenAI’s new 40-image generator just requires a few prompts to generate the desired images. Now, users are using the tool to re-create stills of popular media, themselves, and everything that sparks their curiosity to create images akin to the studio’s quintessential style. Some of the prompts users are entering are- “Transforms photos into Studio Ghibli-inspired characters, with a focus on detail and whimsy.” “What would I look like as a Ghibli character?”. “Can you Ghiblize my photo?”. “Show me in Studio Ghibli style”. Moreover, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman has also changed his X photo to a Ghibli version of himself.

Nobody asked for Bollywood movie scenes in Ghibli style — but here they are. pic.twitter.com/umiDAA7LNu

— Vivek Choudhary (@ivivekch) March 26, 2025

It’s been 24 hours since OpenAI unexpectedly shook the AI image world with 4o image generation.

Here are the 14 most mindblowing examples so far (100% AI-generated):

1. Studio ghibli style memespic.twitter.com/E38mBnPnQh

— Barsee (@heyBarsee) March 26, 2025

Hayao Miyazaki’s opposition to AI

Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki advocates for a human touch in art. He believes in carefully creating artistic visuals by hand. In his 2016 documentary, the legendary filmmaker openly expressed his displeasure with using artificiality in creating art. When a demonstration of AI-generated animation was shown, Miyazaki rejected it. He said, “I am utterly disgusted… I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.” Moreover, his concluding words were, “I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.”

Why the viral trend is problematic

While it is just a fleeting viral trend which is tickling users’ curiosity, it is not free from issues. As users across the globe try to envision themselves in the style of the Juggernaut studio, it undermines the very vision of the studio. Additionally, it goes against the sentiments of the artists and people who have created this style over the years as users generate it within seconds. Moreover, it suppresses human touch and creativity which forms the very foundation of artistic styles being replicated by AI. Several Ghibli fans are displeased with the trend. Moreover, it also raises the question of how AI will affect the future of artistic endeavours.