Studio Ghibli never does direct sequels to its movies, choosing to make every one of its titles a one-of-a-kind adaptation or original story. They can be forgiven for breaking that rule just this once after yet another batch release of HD images from six more of its popular titles.
The famed anime studio opened up its film library last month to release high quality images from six of its movies and it did so once again releasing images from another set of six movies. Computer wall-paper makeover part 2 includes 300 images and combined with the release last month, that is 700 images free for anybody to use.
The films in this batch of images released are: Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns, Ghiblies Episode 2, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Princess Mononoke and Whisper of the Heart.
Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke are a good place to start when searching for some iconic images to gawk at. Both were popular movies upon release and feature a visual style that is breathtaking for different reasons. The theatrical release poster for Princess Mononoke included the savage image of the wolf god Moro. The star of Howl’s Moving Castle is the castle itself which is this steampunk behemoth of wood and metal.
The Cat Returns is one of the older films in the Studio Ghibli library, but the images still hold up with a whimsical style worthy of the story they are telling. The movie features the prince of cats wearing a white top hat and a dapper suit -- can't get more delightful than that.
Studio Ghibli is the adult in the room when it comes to anime studios with an art and storytelling style beloved by a wide audience including children. Producer Toshio Suzuki channeled some of that spirit in a blog post releasing the images, asking people to "continue to use freely within the bounds of common sense."
Source: Studio Ghibli website