This Star Wars Ghibli Art Show Was a Hidden Gem of Celebration Japan

All weekend at Star Wars Celebration Japan, the connection between the galaxy far, far away and its inspirational roots in Japanese media has been everywhere. But perhaps one of the most joyful celebrations of that connection was tucked away among the hustle and bustle of the show floor.

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At the back side of a special anime and manga pavilion on the Celebration show floor, primarily dedicated to displays of concept art and props from the first two volumes of Star Wars Visions, a whole wall of art invited congoers to see a special mashup gallery merging the worlds of Studio Ghibli and Star Wars.

Featuring art from a bevy of talent from across Lucasfilm divisions—spearheaded by, of course, none other than noted Ghibli fan Dave Filoni himself—the gallery saw characters and ideas from across Star Wars merge with iconic Ghibli films and imagery, from Porco Rosso to Princess Mononoke, and even touching on Lucasfilm’s actual official collaboration with the studio, Zen: Grogu and Dust Bunnies.

“Japan has always influenced my creativity. I grew up loving Tokusatsu, and was captivated by anime series like Macross,” Filoni wrote in a message accompanying his own art piece in the collection, “Ahsokanoke”, depicting Ahsoka and Grogu in a Ghibli-esque style.

“After I saw Miyazaki’s film Princess Mononoke, it changed the way I thought about animation. I loved everything about that film and it made a lasting impression on me. When I went to create Ahsoka Tano, I knew I wanted to imbue her with a bit of San. So this is why Ahsoka has two ‘wolf fangs’ on her cheeks, in homage to Miyazaki’s film.”

Check out a rundown of the Lucasfilm x Ghibli gallery below.

Star Wars Celebration Japan Lucasfilm Ghibli Mashup Art Gallery © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9 © James Whitbrook/io9

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