‘Princess Mononoke’s U.S. distributer touts box office success ‘in a time when technology tries to replicate humanity’

More than 25 years after its original release, Hayao Miyazaki’s action epic Princess Mononoke is back in theaters across North America. The movie is currently playing on more than 330 screens and earned $1.2 million in previews ahead of its official release on March 28.

That box office success led Chance Huskey, VP of distribution for GKids, to release a statement celebrating the film’s success. “In a time when technology tries to replicate humanity, we are thrilled that audiences value a theatrical experience that respects and celebrates Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s masterpiece in all its cinematic hand-drawn glory,” Huskey said.

The statement makes oblique reference to ChatGPT’s new image generation feature, which now allows paid subscribers to generate images in the style of Studio Ghibli animation. Those images quickly took over the internet, but many pointed out that Hiyazaki probably wouldn’t be too pleased by these images, which were created by a computer aping the style of a human.

When Miyazaki was shown a demo of AI animation back in 2016, he was pretty clear about how he felt.

“I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all,” he said, adding, “I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself.”

Miyazaki is an animator who draws much of his films himself and insists that each of his movies be hand-drawn. His films, which are about the destruction of nature and the battle for the human soul, are entirely contrary to the AI art that imitates his style.