Amidst ChatGPT's Ghibli Trend, Ryan Reynolds Embraces A Different Take on Animation

Published 04/05/2025, 12:38 AM EDT

via Getty

Ryan Reynolds has never followed the rulebook. From breaking the fourth wall in Deadpool to his witty brand campaigns for Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, he has proven he is not just an actor- he is a creative force who thrives on the unconventional. His knack for blending humor, heart, and chaos sets him apart in an industry that often plays it safe. Whether reinventing Pikachu or turning an antihero into a phenomenon, Reynolds brings a fresh, unique twist to everything he touches.

So, when the internet started swooning over the soft pastels and quiet magic of Studio Ghibli, it was only natural that Reynolds took the scenic route, just not the one everyone expected.

Ryan Reynolds does not do Ghibli, he does Reynolds

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Ryan Reynolds recently shared an Instagram story featuring an AI-generated animation of himself, vibrant, exaggerated, and entirely over-the-top. While the internet is busy turning their selfies into soft, pastel Ghibli-style portraits, Reynolds seems to have taken a different route. His animation, more Cocomelon than Spirited Away, adds a chaotic, satirical twist to the trend. With no caption and his signature deadpan delivery, it felt less like he was joining in, and more like he was playfully critiquing the entire thing.

via Imago

The actor's post lands at a time when AI-generated Ghibli-style images have flooded social media, with users feeding their photos into ChatGPT to receive something similar to Hayao Miyazaki's art. What many see as a harmless trend, others view as a flattening of Hayao Miyazaki’s legacy, reducing decades of hand-drawn artistry and cultural nuance to a shallow visual template. In that context, Reynolds’s animation feels like a pointed contrast, a reminder that true art cannot be replicated by algorithms, nor reduced to a trend.

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Rather than following the crowd, Ryan Reynolds leans into the creative process and the people behind it, becoming something of a modern-day Rumpelstiltskin, spinning bold ideas into fully formed art.

Give Reynolds a creative thread, and he will weave it into something gold

Toss Ryan Reynolds a bizarre concept, and he will turn it into something heartwarming, hilarious, and probably marketable. Remember The Adam Project? Time travel, daddy issues, sarcasm, it should not have worked, but it did, because Reynolds turned a genre blender into a comfort film. He also launched the Group Effort Initiative, helping people break into Hollywood without needing a famous last name or a miracle. The man does not just play the game; he changes who gets to join it.

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via Imago

It is this instinct to support, rather than overshadow, that has defined Ryan Reynolds’s creative path. Whether he is empowering new voices through his initiatives or helping directors bring bold visions to life, he treats storytelling as collaboration, not performance. His sets are known for balancing creativity and chaos, with his golden sense of humor occasionally leaving team members questioning their life choices. His recent post, tucked in with all its oddball energy, is just another quiet gesture in that direction.

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What do you think of Ryan Reynolds' take on the Ghibli trend? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Iffat Siddiqui

142 articles

Iffat is a versatile wordsmith with 2 years of experience- a creative virtuoso who seamlessly fuses precision with adaptability to master any content. Being a budding writer, she wields her wit and craft with precision, ensuring every sentence carries a touch of intrigue and a spark of vitality. With her talent to hooking the audience to her opinionated writing, spinning theories like an Agatha Christie trying to piece the pieces of a puzzle together.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

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