As AI-generated images flood the internet in styles mimicking Studio Ghibli, concerns grow over the future of Japan’s anime industry. Goro Miyazaki, son of legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, believes AI could soon replace animators — but not the heart behind the art.
“It wouldn’t be surprising if, in two years’ time, there was a film made completely through AI,” Goro told AFP. Yet, he questions whether such films would connect with audiences the same way Ghibli’s works do.
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Tools like ChatGPT’s image generator are stirring copyright debates, especially with visuals replicating Ghibli’s signature hand-drawn beauty from films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. OpenAI claims to ban mimicking living artists but allows broader studio styles to offer “creative freedom.”
With Japan facing a shortage of skilled animators and Gen Z less inclined towards the industry’s demanding nature, AI is rising fast. Still, Goro insists no tech can replicate the emotional depth infused by war-scarred creators like his father and Isao Takahata.
“Even Totoro is scary in some ways,” he said, citing the film’s underlying fear of losing a sick parent. He believes such layered storytelling — born of hardship — is hard to reproduce in peacetime or through machines.
Hayao Miyazaki, now 84, recently won his second Oscar for The Boy and the Heron, likely his final feature. As Ghibli faces an uncertain future, Goro admits, “It’s not like they can be replaced.”
