Studio Ghibli’s First Stills Of Hayao Miyazaki’s Last Film Inspire Fan Art

Back in June, news broke that in the lead-up to the release of Hayao Miyazaki’s last film—How Do You Live?—Studio Ghibli would not be rolling out posters, teaser images, or trailers in typical box office fashion.

In fact, the movie, which will be the animation firm’s first-ever IMAX release, has only released a single poster as the only promotional item for the project thus far, comprising a simple blue sketch of a bird.

The release goes by two different titles, with The Boy and the Heron being its name in its native Japan, while How Do You Live? was selected for overseas releases.

#新しいプロフィール画像
常識の範囲内で、自由に使ってください。 pic.twitter.com/T6WlXKVBAA

— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) July 13, 2023

Now, on the week of the film’s release, Studio Ghibli has rewarded fans’ patience with its second-ever piece of official art. The image, possibly a cartoon rendition of the bird seen in the first poster, is free to use, spurring a deluge of interesting fan art that’s taken over social media.

戦隊もののヒーローにしか見えない🦸‍♂️
皆さんはどう生きますか❓#スタジオジブリ#君たちはどう生きるか pic.twitter.com/TowfZQnPgN

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— エース (@ashikayui) July 14, 2023

For those who can’t wait till the theaters to catch a glimpse of the film’s highly-anticipated animation, the Twitter account @Fandango has unveiled several still images from the movie as a sneak peek.

Check out our first look at Hayao Miyazaki's newest film, #TheBoyAndTheHeron.
In theaters later this year. pic.twitter.com/KKeMhE5isF

— Fandango (@Fandango) August 14, 2023

Each colorful illustration invokes the same whimsical, dreamscape aesthetic often seen in Miyazaki’s movies, though it still doesn’t shed much light on the plot—though it’s certain there’ll be a few birds featured throughout the story. 

我々はハッピーに生きる👍✨ pic.twitter.com/X63WLSDw7S

— Nobu のぶ🚀 NFT Creator🇯🇵 CPUO=くぷお Ordinals #TMJP (@IguchiTomonobu) July 14, 2023

ありがとうございます pic.twitter.com/Yp6W9Hn3nu

— oatmeal夏休み中🏭PERONEKO factory (@oatmeal_mix_nft) July 14, 2023

もしかして、中をあけたらポニョがいたりします？ pic.twitter.com/5W27gVTPnB

— Loose Drawing | フリーイラスト (@loose_drawing) July 14, 2023

[via Sora24News and Gizmodo, cover image via Studio Ghibli / IMDb]