Studio Ghibli Brings 'Choju Giga' Scrolls to Life In new Commercial.

Claims of Studio Ghibli's demise have been repeatedly overstated. Just because there is no feature currently in production (although they are involved with Michael Dudok De Wit's The Red Turtle) that doesn't mean they are resting on their laurels. People at the studio are hard at work on other smaller projects such as shorts or commercials. The latest advert campaign that the studio is working on will begin airing in Japan in April, and -luckily for fans- has been previewed online.

The short is inspired by the Choju-Jinbutsu-Giga-Emaki Scrolls, (aka Choju Giga) which can be found at the Kozan-Ji temple in Japan's former capital city, Kyoto. The scrolls are often referred to as the first manga and feature anthropomorphic animals depicted in scenes of everyday life in medieval Japan.

The scrolls show that talking animals go back to way before animation was even invented- Zootopia eat your heart out! In this animated adaptation the scrolls are brought to beautifully animated life. It's clear that traditional Japanese art like the Choju Giga has influenced some of Ghibli's previous work, most notably The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya. This, therefore, seems like familiar territory for the Studio.


The short is directed by Katsuya Kondo, a Ghibli veteran with credits including working as character designer and animation director on Kiki's Delivery Service and animation director on Only Yesterday. The commercial is made to promote a new green energy plan from energy company Marubeni Power, and will be followed by at least two more adverts in the same campaign.

This serves as a nice timely reminder that Ghibli is still not dead. As well as commercials like this, Hayao Miyazaki himself is working on a CG short and it recently emerged that When Marnie Was There director Hiromasa Yonebayashi next film would likely be made at the Studio.

Check out the full commercial below!



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