by Riva Weir | June 25th, 2025
When I was 8, I saw my very first Studio Ghibli movie, My Neighbor Totoro, and I absolutely loved it. It made me explore their other movies, and eventually, they all just became my comfort movies.
Some people say that these movies are simple “cartoons,” and I would have agreed—but after watching them countless times, I’ve realized each movie has a different sort of meaning. Sure, they’re animated. Sure, they’re magical. But underneath the floating castles, forest spirits, and flying girls on broomsticks—there’s always a deeper meaning! Studio Ghibli movies are emotional, artistic, and will always have some sort of message they’ll convey. They manage to comfort you by showing reality while also somehow making it something out of one’s wildest imagination.
Take Kiki’s Delivery Service, for example. It shows how Kiki starts out full of hope and ambition, but once she begins her delivery service, she faces many challenges—getting lost, struggling to fit in, and eventually, even losing her ability to fly on her broom and talk to her cat, Jiji. This signifies how sometimes people can go through burnouts or feel tired. Eventually, after a break, Kiki gets her spark back. The film’s main message was that it’s okay to feel lost, and that every day is a new day, with tons of space for improvement! This was a really relatable moment—not just for me, but for many other people too—and this was just one of the many powerful moments Studio Ghibli has to offer!
What makes these films even more special is how much love and effort goes into creating them. Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, after the success of their first movie, ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.’ Miyazaki even named the studio after the Italian word “Ghibli,” which means a hot desert wind—symbolizing their mission to breathe fresh air into the animation world. Each film takes around 2–3 years to create, with thousands of hand-drawn frames. For instance, ‘Spirited Away’ alone had over 112,000 hand-drawn images! The team focuses on every tiny detail, and Miyazaki himself often storyboards the entire movie by hand. That’s the kind of dedication that makes their work so magical.
Recently, there’s been a new trend online where AI tries to recreate Studio Ghibli’s style. While it’s fun to see how much the world loves their aesthetic, I think it’s really disrespectful to Hayao Miyazaki- who had once said that he would never want to inculcate AI into his work. This trend also sort of destroys all the hard work that once went behind creating this kind of art for people to see, and it can’t truly capture the emotional depth and hand-drawn charm that real artists bring to life. Ghibli films aren’t just about the visuals—they’re about the soul and feelings behind every single frame. So, while AI might be able to mimic the look, it can never recreate the comfort these movies provide.
All in all, Studio Ghibli movies never disappoint and always offer comfort whenever needed. They can be related to, teach us so many new lessons, and even give us the advice we didn’t know we needed! So I’d definitely recommend that you go watch a Studio Ghibli movie if you haven’t already—trust me, they’re the best!
(Images from Pinterest.)
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