Studio Ghibli Fans Outraged by AI Live-Action Version of Spirited Away

The Ethical Dilemma of AI in Animation

Studio Ghibli fans are banding together to tear down and shun a live-action version of Spirited Away made by AI. Every anime fan knows of Spirited Away and the Studio Ghibli library of movies; they’re full of delightful, emotional, and – most importantly – beautifully animated films.

The man behind them, Hayao Miyazaki, is not just famous for his work but also his ethics towards animation; his latest film, The Boy and the Heron, can twist its meaning to an autobiographical sense.

Artificial intelligence is controversial, to say the least; stealing work from artists and writers alike to rush out cheap and terrible imitations is scummy enough. However, trying to use it to create a new version of a beloved animated film is frankly sacrilegious against animation.

The Symbolism of Studio Ghibli Films

Studio Ghibli films revel in being outstanding art pieces full of symbolism and more profound meaning while still being memorable movies to watch on the surface level. So, an AI trying to replicate, possibly the most human animation in the industry, will only be met with hostility.

When translated, the original post says, 'The Spirited Away universe generated by an AI' and contains incredibly drab renders of a live-action Spirited Away with generated subjects barely looking like their animated counterparts. Even the adorable soot sprites look just terrible and gross.

Anyone who knows Hayao Miyazaki knows of his extremely strict worldview and opinions of animation as an art form to the degree that it becomes almost philosophical. So, the likelihood of him actually hunting down the person who made this with a bow and arrow is doubtful but not totally out of the realm of possibility.

Miyazaki's Uncompromising Stance on Animation

'If Hayao Miyazaki sees this he will probably tell you that you are insulting life itself,' one user tweeted. 'Putting AI to generate images based on the masterpiece that is #Spiritedaway’s artwork must be one of the very few things that really made me angry! This is disrespectful to the hard work of #HayaoMiyazaki and Studio #Ghibli. This is so wrong,' another wrote.

Miyazaki stands very strongly behind his projects, going as far as threatening disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein by sending him a samurai sword with a note saying 'No cuts' after the producer demanded they cut the runtime on Princess Mononoke from 135 minutes down to 90 minutes. Whether the sword made an impact or not, Princess Mononoke stands proudly at a long runtime and is a masterful piece of animation.