Studio Ghibli's New Short Film Just Premiered at Ghibli Park — Why Ghibli Still Defines Japanese Animation Worldwide

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Studio Ghibli has a new film — but you can currently only see it in one place in the world, and that's very much the point.

A Ghibli Park Exclusive

"Night in the Valley of Witches" premiered exclusively at Cinema Orion, inside Ghibli Park's Grand Warehouse, on July 8, 2026. It's directed by Goro Miyazaki — Hayao Miyazaki's son, and the director and lead designer behind Ghibli Park itself — alongside Akihiko Yamashita, marking another piece of original content built specifically around the park experience rather than a traditional theatrical release.

Why Ghibli Still Defines the Medium

Founded in 1985, Studio Ghibli has produced some of animation's most internationally celebrated films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Princess Mononoke. Spirited Away remains the only Japanese film ever to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (2003) — a benchmark that still anchors Ghibli's reputation as the studio most responsible for Japanese animation's global critical legitimacy, distinct from anime's broader commercial popularity.

What To Know

A brand-new Ghibli short that can only be seen in person at Ghibli Park gives international fans a genuine reason to plan an actual visit, rather than just watching Ghibli's classics at home — it's part of how Ghibli Park itself has become a pilgrimage destination distinct from the studio's theatrical releases.

Ghibli's reputation abroad often centers on Hayao Miyazaki personally, but the studio's ongoing work — including Ghibli Park itself and films directed by Goro Miyazaki — reflects a broader institutional legacy that's continuing well beyond any single director, similar to how many respected Japanese creative studios are built to outlast their founding generation.

What Fans Are Saying

• "A Ghibli Park-exclusive short is such a strong reason to actually plan the trip."
• "Goro Miyazaki directing original content for the park is a cool way to keep it feeling alive, not just a museum."
• "Spirited Away winning the Oscar is still one of anime's biggest crossover moments ever."

Original Japanese

• 「ジブリパーク限定の新作短編は、行く理由として本当に強い」
• 「宮崎吾朗さんがパーク用オリジナル作品を手がけ続けているのは、施設を単なる展示以上のものにしていると思う」
• 「千と千尋のオスカー受賞は今でもアニメ史上最大級のクロスオーバーの瞬間」

Easy Japanese

スタジオジブリの新作短編アニメ『魔女の谷の夜』が、7月8日にジブリパークで初上映されました。宮崎吾朗さんが監督です。