Tired of Chat GPT-generated Hayao Miyazaki art? Here are a few underrated Studio Ghibli films-OxBig News Network

FILE – In this Nov. 8, 2014, file photo, Hayao Miyazaki arrives at the 6th annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles.
| Photo Credit: Chris Pizzello

Hayao Miyazaki couldn’t have expected that the machines he dreaded would appropriate his legacy and manufacture this tiresome barrage of AI image-making. Fans of Miyazaki, known for his distinct hand-drawn animation style and the famed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, were in for a sweet surprise that turned quite nasty earlier this week.

In what can be dubbed a mockery of the authenticity at the soul of Miyazaki’s art, a trend of GPT users generating Ghibli-style images of their own with text prompts has taken over the internet. Netizens have begun turning their own portraits, family pictures, and things far worse, into Ghibli-style animated images. While some have given in to this ‘cute’ trend, much of Miyazaki’s fans and anime enthusiasts have called out the bastardisation of his legacy, and an ironic take on the glibness of AI.

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A silver lining, however, is that this has also resulted in resurged popularity in the already iconic Ghibli filmography, leading to many internet users discovering Miyazaki for the very first time. It’s about time the world appreciated the delicate, soulful and immersive art of this master creator, but one can’t help but feel dejected at the fact that it took an AI-generated trend for the larger world to take attention.

For now, why don’t we take a step into the breezy, wondersome world of (authentic) Miyazaki animation with these underrated Studio Ghibli films that you can binge-watch this weekend?

The Wind Rises

Miyazaki’s 11th directorial film, The Wind Rises, is a heartfelt story of an aeronautical engineer. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel The Wind Has Risen by Tatsuo Hori, the film marked Miyazaki’s return to direction after five years. Interestingly, the film was originally intended to be his final feature film, before he reversed his decision and made The Boy and The Heron.

Porco Rosso

Like The Wind Rises, Porco Rosso too showcases Miyazaki’s affinity towards aviation. Set in the 1920s in the Mediterranean, this fun, melancholic film follows an Italian ex-fighter ace, cursed to have a pig’s head, fight air pirates as a bounty hunter. Fun fact: an iconic line from the film, “Better a pig than a fascist,” became a symbol of Spanish resistance conservative right-wing ideologies during the 2023 elections.

Ponyo

Ponyo follows the titular goldfish’s adventures with a five-year-old human boy. Miyazaki’s eighth film for Ghibli, the film got one of the widest for a film by the studio in the U.S.

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The Cat Returns

Hiroyuki Morita’s 2002 film, a spin-off of Yoshifumi Kondō’s 1995 film, Whisper of the Heart, is a fairytale-esque, whimsical Ghibli film that has found a soft spot among fans. It follows the story of a high school girl who inadvertently saves the life of the prince of the Cat Kingdom. With exaggerated expressions and playful in its entirety, the film was far removed from the traditional style of Ghibli’s works.

Whisper of the Heart

If you’re watching The Cat Returns, you might as well watch the film that inspired it. One of Kondō’s last works and his last directorial, the film was based on the manga Mimi o Sumaseba which was originally created by Aoi Hiiragi. One of the most realistic narratives in a Ghibli film, with neglible fantasy surprisingly, the film followed a 14-year-old book-loving girl’s adventures in Tokyo.