The artistic sources of inspiration for solarpunk (studio Ghibli, Art Nouveau, etc.) are clear to see – even if an overreliance on them might provoke a critique of solarpunk (“… falling short of its stated political aim of providing implementable projects for reducing greenhouse gasses and replacing existing economic systems”)

And indeed, the use of studio Ghibli imagery resulted in an impressive video advertising selling yogurt with solarpunk (“This imaginary world might just be an ad for Greek yogurt company Chobani, but it is also the most mainstream manifestation of Solarpunk, a movement built on visual art and speculative fiction that hopes to build a more sustainable world.”)

Here’s a good look at Studio Ghibli and Solarpunk, by Mia Milne, put together a couple of weeks ago, where she shares her impressions of the studio, the genre and its master Hayao Miyazaki:

This past summer, I watched most of Studio Ghibli’s films. The studio or it’s main creative force, Hayao Miyazaki, are often mentioned as major influences on the solarpunk genre. It’s not a coincidence that one of their composers did the music for the solarpunk-inspired yogurt ad. Despite how connected Studio Ghibli seems to be to solarpunk, I found that only two of their 20+ movies have substantial solarpunk imagery or worldbuilding. Even so, it’s clear that these films were highly influential even if they’re weren’t solarpunk films. The influence comes from Studio Ghibli’s constant themes of environmentalism, humanism, community, anti-authoritarianism, and pacifism.

What’s made Studio Ghibli stand out has been the consistent quality of their films and their ability to create family-friendly movies that explore complex ideas related to pacifism, humanism, modernity and the environment. It’s not surprising that these films have become so popular at a time where there’s such a hunger for complex movies that aren’t just spin-offs and are hopeful without being sappy. 

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