Who is Hayao Miyazaki, man who started ‘Ghibli’ art? His net worth will leave you shocked
Wyatt Mason 
The viral AI trend of generating Ghibli generative images has sparked outrage all over the internet. This is the man who started the studios.
The new bandwagon leading the digital world is the viral Ghibli trend where artificial intelligence Chat GPT can now generate and convert any moment from a ‘Ghibli’ art form POV. Every time you open social media, the second story will be someone unlocking their curiosity about this generative image filter. If you are an anime fan, someone who is into the literary sphere of books or pop culture nerd, then you already know whose brainchild is Ghibli, the artform. For the unversed, this trend traces its roots to Studio Ghibli that was established in Japan.
Wide eyed characters, wonky figurines, sparkly backgrounds and colourful scape of vision is what is Ghibli. This distinct style of creation and whimsical storytelling was founded by Hayao Miyazaki.
Meet Hayao Miyazaki, the Creator of Studios Ghibli
Studio Ghibli, Inc is a Japanese animation studio that is established in Tokoyo, Japan. It was founded in 1985 by three visionaries – animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist Hayao Miyazaki; film director Isao Takahata; and producer Toshio Suzuki. Since its inception, it mustered immense love and global cinematic significance. The first production was the release of Laputa: Castle in the Sky in 1986. One the latest films, The Boy and the Heron went on to become a huge critical and commercial success, and bagged the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.
A USP of the this animation is that all these scenes are hand drawn by artists. The meticulous craftsmanship is unparallel. This is only how the 84-year-old wants his legacy to continue. In a world dominated by CGI and VFX, Ghibli paints a unique style of vivid drawings – from the waves of sea , to the interiors of a house. It is all whimsical, fantastical.
Miyazaki has is a filmmaker who has worked on multitude of feature films. According to pennbookcenter, Miyazaki’s estimated net worth as of 2025 is $50 million making him one of the wealthiest animation directors!
The AI Ghibli Controversy
As the viral trend of image generation Ghibli style came into being, an old interview clip of Miyazaki surfaced where he expressed his “disgust” towards AI. The video is a part of a documentary interaction where the animator was shown AI animation in 2016. “Every morning, not in recent days, I see my friend who has a disability,” Miyazaki said. “It’s so hard for him just to do a high five; his arm with stiff muscle can’t reach out to my hand. Now, thinking of him, I can’t watch this stuff and find it interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is,” he said. He said he would “never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.” “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” he added.
While Miyazaki has not officially addressed the ongoing trend, but it has become a topic of debate on the internet. Several people have voiced against the consumption of such technology stating how it is undermining the hard work of artists. Apart from the creative rights, questions have been posed about copyright infringement as well.
