The viral Studio Ghibli trend explained: How to create your own

You’ve likely seen them flooding your social media feeds: enchanting portraits and reimagined scenes bathing in the soft, whimsical aesthetic of beloved Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli. This explosion of anime-inspired visuals is the latest viral phenomenon, known as the Studio Ghibli trend. It’s captivating users worldwide, allowing them to step into the frames of films like ‘Spirited Away’ or ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ – all thanks to accessible AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But this enchanting trend isn’t without its share of debate.

UPDATE: Get your Studio Ghibli filter here: 5 AI tools that still work What exactly is the Studio Ghibli trend?

At its core, the Studio Ghibli trend involves users uploading their personal photos (or other images) to AI image generation tools, primarily ChatGPT equipped with the GPT-4o model, and prompting the AI to recreate them in the distinct artistic style of Studio Ghibli. This typically includes:

• Soft, painterly color palettes.
• Whimsical, often nature-inspired backgrounds.
• Facial features and character designs reminiscent of Ghibli characters (think wide eyes and expressive simplicity).
• A general sense of charm, detail, and nostalgia associated with the studio’s iconic films.

The results range from personal portraits transformed into anime characters to famous memes and even movie scenes getting the Ghibli treatment. This accessibility, allowing everyday users to engage with advanced AI for creative expression, is a key driver behind the viral nature of the Studio Ghibli trend across platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Why is this Studio Ghibli trend happening now?

Several factors converged to ignite the Studio Ghibli trend. The primary catalyst was the release and enhanced capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model. Key aspects include:

• GPT-4o demonstrated a stunning ability to understand complex prompts and generate high-quality, stylized images based on uploaded photos, trained on a vast variety of styles.
• Users discovered that these powerful image generation features, including photo uploads, were available within GPT-4o even on ChatGPT’s *free tier*. This removed the barrier of needing a paid subscription (like ChatGPT Plus) and opened the door for widespread experimentation.
• Studio Ghibli holds a special place in the hearts of millions globally. The ability to insert oneself or familiar imagery into this beloved aesthetic proved irresistible for many fans, offering a novel way to engage with the Ghibli legacy.
• Some early users noted the model seemed relatively unrestricted in mimicking styles, though this can change and may depend on the specific prompt or image source (as some meme recreations were later refused by ChatGPT’s policy).

How to join the Studio Ghibli trend (using ChatGPT)

Ready to see yourself as a character from a Hayao Miyazaki film? Participating in the Studio Ghibli trend using ChatGPT is surprisingly straightforward. Here’s how:

• Access ChatGPT: Go to chat.openai.com and log in to your OpenAI account. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to sign up (it’s free).
• Select the Right Model: Ensure you are using the GPT-4o model. It should be available by default for free users, but check the model selector if you have options.
• Upload Your Photo: Click the paperclip icon (or similar attachment button) in the chat input area to upload a clear, preferably front-facing, photo of yourself or the subject you want to transform.
• Enter a specific prompt: This is key! The more detail you provide, the better the result. Instead of a generic request, guide the AI clearly.

LETS TRY NOW!

We used this image of Christopher Campbell to try out the prompts:

The source image we used

Example prompt:

"Reimagine this photo in the iconic Studio Ghibli animation style. Capture the characteristic hand-painted look with gentle lighting, a dreamy atmosphere, and character features reminiscent of Ghibli films like 'Howl's Moving Castle' or 'Kiki's Delivery Service'. Include a lush, nature-filled background."

Update: Looks like controversy made OpenAI step back. Here’s Sam Altman’s tweet about it, now ChatGPT won’t generate this style:

The error ChatGPT gave us

When we ask ChatGPT to generate using “Studio Ghibli” keywords, it won’t generate, but we made it to describe the style throughly. You can use this in any other image generator:

“An animation style defined by its hand-drawn, painterly quality—where each frame feels like a watercolor illustration come to life. Characters are designed with soft, expressive features, often with large, emotionally rich eyes and fluid, naturalistic movements. Hair flows with weight and realism, clothing ripples in the wind, and body language carries subtle emotion, often more powerful than words.

The environments are lush and immersive, almost like characters themselves. Nature is depicted with reverence—sun-dappled forests, rustling leaves, and sweeping countryside landscapes full of life and detail. Architecture blends traditional and fantastical, with intricate wooden houses, steampunk-inspired contraptions, or whimsical airships that feel both old and new. There’s a strong focus on atmosphere: warm glows during sunset, misty mountain mornings, rain that feels almost tangible.

Lighting is gentle, often diffused, creating a dreamlike calm. The color palette is rich but never overwhelming—earthy greens, ocean blues, faded pastels. There’s a deliberate slowness to the pacing, allowing viewers to take in the stillness of a scene—a kettle whistling, a breeze through tall grass, the quiet hum of a town.

This aesthetic often carries a sense of nostalgia, innocence, and a quiet melancholy. Even when fantastical creatures or surreal events enter the scene, the world feels grounded—anchored by its emotional honesty, its small human moments, and its deep connection to nature and everyday life.”

Feel free to mix and match elements from these examples or add details specific to your photo or desired Ghibli film (e.g., “add small magical creatures,” “set it during a golden hour sunset,” “make the background like the forests in ‘Princess Mononoke'”). Remember, specificity often yields better results!

You can also try mentioning specific Ghibli films or elements you want to see (e.g., “add lush foliage,” “give it a slightly nostalgic feel”).

• Generate and wait: Press enter or click the send button. The AI will take a few moments to process your request and generate the image.
• Download your creation: Once the image appears, you can usually click on it to view it larger and then right-click to save or download it. You can also simply take a screenshot.

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to refine your prompt and try again if the first result isn’t quite right. Adding more descriptive words about the mood, lighting, or specific Ghibli elements can significantly improve the outcome.

While ChatGPT with GPT-4o is central to the current Studio Ghibli trend, remember that other AI image generators (like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, etc.) might also be capable of producing similar styles with the right prompting techniques.

Why Studio Ghibli is so famous?

To fully appreciate the Studio Ghibli trend and the surrounding discussion, it helps to know the source. Founded in Japan in 1985 by legendary directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata (along with producer Toshio Suzuki), Studio Ghibli is renowned globally for its breathtaking animation and profound storytelling.

Key characteristics include:

• Hand-drawn craftsmanship: Miyazaki, in particular, is famous for his dedication to meticulous, frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation, giving the films their unique fluidity and life.
• Rich storytelling: Ghibli films often explore complex themes like environmentalism, pacifism, childhood, and the complexities of human nature.
• Iconic films: The studio has produced numerous critically acclaimed masterpieces, including:
  • My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
  • Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
  • Princess Mononoke (1997)
  • Spirited Away (2001) – Academy Award Winner
  • Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
  • Ponyo (2008)
  • The Wind Rises (2013)
  • The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
  • The Boy and the Heron (2023) – Academy Award Winner

The studio’s dedication to art and craft makes it a cultural icon, which adds weight to the controversy surrounding the AI-driven Studio Ghibli trend.

This is how original Studio Ghibli style looks The controversy: Art, AI, and an “insult to life itself”

While the Studio Ghibli trend is fun for many users, it has sparked significant backlash and debate within art and fan communities. The core issues revolve around ethics, copyright, and respect for artistic integrity:

• Contradiction of ethos: The most poignant criticism is that using AI to replicate the Ghibli style directly contradicts the studio’s, and especially Hayao Miyazaki’s, philosophy. Miyazaki famously condemned AI-generated animation years ago, calling a demonstration “an insult to life itself” and expressing disgust at the notion of machines drawing like humans. The trend uses technology he seemingly despises to mimic the style born from his painstaking handcraft.
• Copyright concerns: Generative AI models like GPT-4o are trained on vast datasets, often including copyrighted images scraped from the internet without permission. Critics argue that generating images in a specific, recognizable style like Ghibli’s constitutes copyright infringement or, at the very least, exploits the labor of the original artists whose work formed the training data.
• Devaluation of art: Many artists and fans feel the Studio Ghibli trend cheapens the unique aesthetic cultivated over decades of dedicated work. The ease with which AI can mass-produce imitations raises concerns about art becoming disposable and the perceived value of human creativity diminishing. While wonky details sometimes give AI images away, the increasing quality blurs the lines.
• Environmental irony: Commentators have noted the irony of using energy-intensive AI technology (large models require significant computational power) to replicate the style of Studio Ghibli, whose films often celebrate nature and warn against unchecked technological advancement or industrial harm.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the trend’s virality with some humor, but the underlying ethical questions remain a serious topic of discussion. ChatGPT itself may even block requests to generate Ghibli-style images if they involve clearly copyrighted characters or specific memes, citing content policies.

The Studio Ghibli trend is a potent example of modern AI’s capabilities and cultural impact. It offers a playful, accessible way for fans to engage with a beloved aesthetic, democratizing creative tools in an unprecedented manner. Following the steps outlined above, almost anyone can now generate their own Ghibli-inspired artwork in minutes.

Featured image credit