Studio Ghibli made it possible for fans to download free, hi-res images from eight of their iconic movies. Studio Ghibli is known for having a highly protective stance concerning the distribution of its films and images, but it appears the studio is slackening its hold.
Recently, the studio released 400 images onto their official website, sharing 50 images for each selected film. Though some fan-favorites are missing, fans will be able to download hi-res photos from When Marnie was There, Ponyo, The Secret World of Arrietty, From Up On Poppy Hill, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, The Wind Rises, Tales From Earthsea and the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away.
However, Studio Ghibli's producer Toshio Suzuki included a special request with this complimentary download capability. Suzuki asked that fans "please use [images] freely within the scope of common sense." Fans speculated that this meant that images should not be used in any inappropriate settings that could possibly infringe on artistic rights. Instead, they should be used for personal enjoyment for fans like screensavers, the inspiration for aspiring artists and animators or posters for bedroom walls.
This isn't the first time Studio Ghibli budged on its usually strict stance on distribution and copyright of their creations. The studio also provided free Zoom backgrounds -- including Sophie's hat shop in Howl's Moving Castle and the bakery in Kiki's Delivery Service -- to use in meetings. Earlier this year, the studio also announced that the Ghibli collection would be available to stream on Netflix in 190 countries. Though Netflix US wasn't included, the Ghibli collection can be streamed currently through HBO Max's platform.
(via Sora News)