Studio Ghibli has given the world a lot over the past 35 years: fantastic stories, beautiful cinematography, and movie magic. And now, the beloved anime studio is giving away 400 free images from eight of their films. These high-definition pictures are perfect for Zoom backgrounds.
Studio Ghibli’s decision to freely share their artistry with the world is a departure from their long protection of their copyright and strict distribution deals. Starting earlier year, the studio started to relax their tight hold on their content.
For example, Studio Ghibli struck a deal with Netflix for streaming rights to 21 Studio Ghibli films for fans in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. (If you’re in North America, don’t bother looking on Netflix because they aren’t there.) The Studio Ghibli films on Netflix are subtitled in 28 languages and dubbed in 20 other languages for the first time ever.
In North America, Studio Ghibli films are available on HBO Max, which costs more than Netflix, but their film library is huge. And HBO Max has a partnership with Crunchyroll so there’s always fresh anime coming to the streaming service.
Anyway, back to the free Studio Ghibli anime images. The only rule the studio asked fans to follow for the graphics is to use them within the bounds of common sense. We’ve already loaded select images into Zoom for use as backgrounds in upcoming Zoom meetings. We think that’s a good common sense use.
Below are sample images from the eight films. Click on an image to go to the graphics library for the respective film. Or go to Studio Ghibli’s website page with links to graphics for all eight films. The site is in Japanese, but you can easily navigate via the film cover graphics. Also, the pages can load slowly at times so be patient.
From Up on Poppy Hill
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Spirited Away
Tales from Earthsea
The Secret World of Arrietty
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
The Wind Rises
When Marnie was There
