The Spirit of Studio Ghibli in the Age of AI

By Simran Shoker

(Snapshot of Howl’s Moving Castle/Studio Ghibli)

Upon rewatching Howl’s Moving Castle the other day, I couldn’t help but feel the same emotions I felt when I first watched the film. Being in awe of the fantastical world, the characters, the story. At its core it’s about love, courage, and self-discovery. These are universal themes, something that Studio Ghibli incorporates so beautifully in their films. And of course we mustn’t forget about the art. The distinct art style of Studio Ghibli is what makes it so iconic. The blend of realism with whimsy captures audiences globally.

I mention the art because we have just gone through the Studio Ghibli AI trend controversy, so I thought it’d be interesting to dive into concerns that this trend raised, as well as the implications for future animators and artists. About a month ago, OpenAI unveiled their new image-generation tool for ChatGPT which allowed users to transform images into different styles. This includes the Studio Ghibli style.

Users only had to upload an image onto the platform and request it to be rendered in the iconic Studio Ghibli style, and it would complete the process within seconds. The new tool was rolled out to all free users, enabling people to generate up to three images a day. Many users transformed images originating from mainly internet memes and family/personal photos. The term “Ghiblification” was born from this.

There’s a very famous clip of Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Studio Ghibli, calling artificial intelligence in animation “utterly disgusting” and “an insult to life itself”. He would never wish to utilise technology into his work, yet almost a decade after that video, millions of users cover the internet with AI-generated images replicating his style.

I believe that I have very strong opinions about this since I am an avid watcher of animation films, and studied a year in animation before committing to communications. 2D animation takes an excruciatingly long time, especially the traditional hand-drawn techniques that Miyazaki uses that gives Studio Ghibli its distinctive expressions. Take the crowd scene in Ghibli’s The Wind Rises. It is very known for this mere 4 second scene depicting the Great Kanto Earthquake of1923, as it took animator Eiji Yamamori 1 year and 3 months to complete. That dedication is unmatched by AI.

The ethics of AI-generated art has been at the pedestal ever since it was first created, and this controversy has sparked renewed conversations about the ethics, especially since this trend had initially gained fast momentum. A big thing that AI cannot replicate in art is the soul and essence of the work. In this case, it is very much an exploitation of Miyazaki’s world, it cannot truly capture the essence of his work, nor the fundamental human element that is essential in art. AI can mimic and replicate, but all it takes is watching a Ghibli film to see the stark differences. The generated art by AI cannot copy the emotions and feelings you get from the films. It cannot move you.

The main aspect of AI that people gravitate towards is its simplicity and speed. All you need is an image or prompt, and the software processes it for you in seconds. But this overlooks the dedication and time that animators put into the films. Especially because in the industry, it’s still an ongoing battle for animators and writers to receive the credit they deserve for working on films, and this trend has perpetuated that struggle.

Aside from this, another important question that this trend raises is copyright. The OpenAI model is trained on Studio Ghibli’s work without permission, harbouring legal implications. But this becomes a grey area as agreements that OpenAI has with image libraries may be included, or if companies and creators like Studio Ghibli post content on platforms like Facebook, they then have the license to pass the material to someone else.

The potential damage to the studio’s brand and artistic legacy could be enough reason for Studio Ghibli to explore legal options. As of now there haven’t been any legal actions taken, but the stakes are indeed high. If AI-generated art continues to spread unsupervised, the value of the hand-drawn animation style would be greatly diminished, especially as this is the hallmark of Studio Ghibli’s identity.

With AI technology taking over and evolving rapidly, Studio Ghibli’s legacy that’s been built on decades of groundbreaking animation faces a major threat from machine-generated art. Depending on how the studio chooses to fight back or stay on the sidelines, this may set a precedent for how the animation and art industries handle AI’s ongoing growth of influence.

About Simran Shoker:

Simran Shoker (she/her) is a Communications student from Australia with a deep passion for storytelling. Her hobbies, including video games, reading, and sipping iced tea as she reflects on new ideas, fuel her creative process. Her work explores the transformative power of narratives and immersive worlds, inspiring her to experiment with diverse forms of expression, which are not limited to fiction, reviews, and articles. Eager to continue honing her craft, she is excited to share her voice and perspective with a wider audience as she grows in the world of writing.