If you’ve been anywhere near social media these past few days, you’ve likely seen the Ghibli craze that’s taken the internet by storm. From everyday users to celebrities, everyone is eager to see themselves transformed into the soft, whimsical world of Ghibli-style animation. The dreamlike, hand-drawn portraits reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s iconic films have flooded feeds everywhere, and though the controversy over copyright issues lingers, it hasn’t stopped people from Ghiblifying their lives.
But can you guess who kickstarted this viral trend? Enter Grant Slatton, a software engineer from Seattle. While he wasn’t the first to use AI-generated Ghibli-style art, his viral tweet turned the trend into a full-fledged movement. After OpenAI upgraded its image-generation tools, Slatton created a Ghibli-style version of a family photo and shared it on X (formerly Twitter), playfully suggesting that sending such portraits to loved ones was a surefire way to win them over. The internet, of course, agreed. His tweet quickly garnered 44,000 likes and 48 million views, sparking a chain reaction across social media.
As the trend grew, people from all corners of the internet began sharing their own AI-crafted Ghibli portraits, eager to step into the enchanting worlds of Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro. The beloved hand-drawn animation style of Studio Ghibli, co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, has been captivating audiences for decades, and now, with just a few clicks, you can join the magic too. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman jokingly had to ask users to take a break from creating Ghibli portraits so his team could get some rest!
Thanks to Grant Slatton’s viral post, what started as a fun experiment has now turned into one of the most captivating internet trends of the year.
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