Now that our entire social lives can be condensed into the four corners of our webcam screens, it’s time to spruce it up with some virtual scenery – because, let’s face it, your room’s a tip.
Thankfully, Studio Ghibli has released a selection of video chat wallpapers that can be used to up your Zoom game. Accompany your next virtual rave, pub quiz, Marxist reading group (you name it) with eight backdrops (so far) to choose from. Think: the streets of Spirited Away, the hat shop in Howl’s Moving Castle, the cherry blossom trees in The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and more. You can even dive deep into the ocean with a school of smol Ponyos. If that’s not a flex, I don’t know what is.
They’re all free, the only catch is that they can’t be used for commercial purposes or advertising, just virtual backgrounds for office meetings and organised fun.
If you want to go even further down a Miyazki-induced rabbit hole, watch a free, four-part documentary on the director here. You can also read our guide to the Ghibli Museum’s super-exclusive short films, which include a star-crossed romance between two water critters, a late-night sumo tournament held by mice, and a tense getaway from the hands of a carbs-crazy witch.
You can download the virtual backgrounds here.