Studio Ghibli releases stunning 15-second ad made by Hayao Miyazaki

New Studio Ghibli is always a thing to treasure, and although this new advertisement is short and sweet, the Hayao Miyazaki-direction animation is as stunning as ever.

We’re just coming off the release of Studio Ghibli‘s latest movie, The Boy and the Heron, which heralded the return of anime legend Hayao Miyazaki. After retiring (again) in 2013 with The Wind Rises, Miyazaki couldn’t stay away for too long, and came back with another beguiling fantasy tale.

We don’t know if we’ll be blessed with another Miyazaki-directed feature-length work, but his skills are being applied in other corners of Studio Ghibli. The studio now has its own theme park, aptly named Ghibli Park, and a museum, Ghibli Museum, and it’s the former that’s gotten a bit more Miyazaki magic.

Hayao Miyazaki has made an advert for Studio Ghibli’s Ghibli Park

Studio Ghibli has released a new advert for Ghibli Park that’s storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki and directed Akihiko Yamashita, and it’s as amazing as you’d expect.

The video, coming in at 15 seconds, is a short and sweet tease of Valley of Witches, the next and final part of Ghibli Park to be opened. This section will pay tribute to Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle, and the tease contains a walking structure like the one Howl uses. You can see all sorts of tiny moving parts, while a narrator explains the purpose of the ad in Japanese.

If Akihiko’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was animation director on Howl’s Moving Castle, which was directed by Hayao. They’ve switched roles for this quick little ad, a fitting ode to their partnership on the movie.

Howl’s Moving Castle was a huge moment for Studio Ghibli. The film was Hayao’s followup to the beloved Spirited Away, and really solidified Ghibli’s presence outside of Japan as one of the greatest purveyors of anime filmmaking. Kiki’s Delivery Service is equally regarded, though perhaps less known to mainstream audiences.

Valley of Witches combines the city setting of Kiki with Howl’s wastelands. Another area, Hill of Youth nods to Howl’s Moving Castle as well. There other areas provide an intersection of Ghibli creations for patrons to explore.

You can find Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi, Japan, and Valley of Witches opens March 2024.