Ghibli effect: How ChatGPT’s AI tool sparked a new viral comic strip trend

Pic Courtesy: Vivek Choudhary/X

Have you noticed your X (formerly Twitter) feed looking like a colorful comic strip? No, it’s not a new feature—it’s a viral internet trend where people are turning their photos into Studio Ghibli-style art.

Ever since OpenAI announced its powerful image generation tool, which is part of ChatGPT-4o, users everywhere have been going crazy experimenting with the Ghibli effect and many other styles it can turn their pictures into.

In fact, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also changed his profile picture to an AI-generated Ghibli-style image. Soon, ChatGPT users jumped in, sharing Ghibli versions of movie scenes, childhood photos, and even their pictures into Ghibli images. Now, social media is flooded with dreamy, hand-painted-style images—and no one is complaining.

The trend is powered by OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, which has a built-in image generation tool. It can create art in many styles, but its Ghibli-style images are stealing the spotlight. Just upload an image and ask the AI to “turn this into a Studio Ghibli version.” That’s it—your own magical, animated-looking picture is ready to share.

Trump as a Ghibli animation would be pretty great, not gonna lie. pic.twitter.com/fjjy0hOhKE

Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 26, 2025

Elon and Trump drinking wine in Ghibli pic.twitter.com/Wic53t4gAv Deedy (@deedydas) March 26, 2025

Meloni and Modi.The famous selfie.Giblified. pic.twitter.com/yfC3Sx9gKZ

Dhruv (@dhruv2038) March 27, 2025

Studio Ghibli is not something that has been invented by OpenAI or has appeared overnight. It is infact a famous Japanese animation studio known for its beautifully drawn films and heartwarming stories. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the studio has created some of the most loved animated movies, like Spirited Away (2001), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Grave of the Fireflies (1988).

Ghibli movies have a unique look—soft watercolor-like backgrounds, expressive characters, and a dreamy, magical feel. Now, thanks to AI, people can recreate this style with their own photos.

Once a trend takes off online, there’s no stopping it. People are Ghibli-fying everything—pets, profile pictures, wedding proposals, and even memes. Some images look so authentic that they feel like scenes from a real Ghibli movie.Whether you’ve been a Ghibli fan for years or are just discovering its charm, one thing is clear—this trend is making social media a little more magical. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to live in a Ghibli world, even just for a moment?