One of the most mesmerizing things about Studio Ghibli is the fusion of fantastical and very real. Complex characters and nonfictional themes provide a large part of the Japanese animation studio’s massive international appeal, with films like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service touching upon issues ranging from the destruction of natural resources to prostitution to the relationship between adolescence and mental heath.
South Korean artist Kojer has approached the fantasy/factual mashup in a rather different — though no less captivating — way. Using advanced projection techniques to insert Studio Ghibli’s most memorable characters into IRL scenes he shot around Japan, Kojer’s “Studio Ghibli in Real Life” is definitely one of the most impressive pieces of Ghibli fan art to hit the internet. There’s something oddly hypnotizing about watching Chihiro Ogino riding the subway, Porco Rosso shuttling down the freeway in the back of a Hyundai, the Catbus running over a regular old field, or just a normal cat punctuating scenes of cartoony villages. Get spirited away by the clever composition below, and get ready for the first Studio Ghibli television series coming to Amazon this fall.
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley