I never again want to hear someone say, “These are unprecedented times.” And if I open up one more email that starts with, “I hope this email finds you well,” I am going to lose it. All of us are very aware we are living through a nightmare. No one is well! Like everyone, I’m a smidge stressed these days. It’s cold and dark, and I’ve been stuck inside my house for what feels like 37 years. It’s all just a lot, with few options for escape. But now there’s a simple, beautiful way to get away, all from the comfort and safety of your couch. HBO Max, home to Studio Ghibli in the US, has released a 30-minute video featuring some of the iconic animation studio’s most serene and beautiful scenes.
HBO Max has cut together a soothing video (which we first learned about at DesignTAXI) with “peaceful visuals from Studio Ghibli.” The roughly six-minute sequence, which loops for half an hour, includes beautiful shots from classics like Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. The montage features a bevy of bucolic shots, sweeping landscapes, and the general tranquility of a beautiful day. Occasionally a character pops on to screen as well. They too are there to take in the the serenity of their surroundings on a lazy day of relaxation.
And it’s all set to a quiet soundtrack of birds and bugs chirping away, the winds gently blowing, and water rippling with a calmness one kind only find outdoors. (Although in this case you are finding it indoors and on a screen).
Studio Ghibli
The whole effect is like if Sir David Attenborough did a nature documentary about Hayao Miyazaki’s mind. And I don’t care how stressful the world is right now. Anything that can accurately be described like that is going to make me feel better.