Studio Ghibli LEGO Dreams Shut Down as Record 143 Sets Rejected

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People have been asking LEGO to create building sets based on the popular anime films from Studio Ghibli for a long time. However, a new update from LEGO Ideas indicates that an official Ghibli set isn’t currently in development.

According to Brickfanatics, LEGO recently reviewed 143 ideas submitted by fans and turned down five of them that were based on Studio Ghibli films. Four of these designs were inspired by the beloved movie My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and one was based on the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (2001).

You can see the LEGO x Ghibli prototypes below, and they were developed quite quickly.

Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away Are Among LEGO’s Review Update

The new LEGO My Neighbor Totoro sets each include a blocky figure of Totoro, the friendly forest spirit and main character in the film. The sets were designed by LEGO Ideas users Brickass099031 and CoolDrillex020 to recreate the iconic scene where Satsuki shares her father’s umbrella with Totoro, so each set includes a large purple umbrella as an accessory.

I recently saw an amazing LEGO creation dedicated to Catbus, the magical bus from the world of Totoro! It was built by LEGO enthusiasts Snommmmm and Poison Bricks as part of the LEGO Ideas collection. They included a little bus stop and mini-figures of Mei and Satsuki, but the real star was the Catbus itself. It was incredibly detailed, right down to its mouse-shaped headlights and big, toothy grin – a really impressive build!

LEGO builder TrumanBricks, known for their successful “Starry Night” set with over 2,300 pieces, has submitted a design for Spirited Away. The model recreates the film’s central location – a large bathhouse owned by the powerful witch Yubaba – with detailed interiors accessible through compartments on the back.

The set beautifully recreates key moments from the film, including Sen and No-Face’s memorable train journey. It comes with seven mini-figures of popular characters like Chihiro, Sen, Haku (in human form), No-Face, the Radish Spirit, Yubaba, and Kamaji, the eight-legged bathhouse worker. As a special bonus, a figure of Haku as a dragon is also included. The whole set is made up of an impressive 2,612 pieces.

Although LEGO hasn’t shown interest in partnering with Studio Ghibli, they’ve enthusiastically collaborated with other anime series. They plan to release sets based on the live-action One Piece adaptation on Netflix in 2025, and have already announced more One Piece sets for the summer of 2026. Last year, LEGO also teamed up with Pokémon for the first time, creating sets featuring popular characters like Pikachu, Eevee, and Charizard.

LEGO is preparing to launch a unique set based on the popular trading card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! In March 2026, they opened a contest called “LEGO Ideas’ Yu-Gi-Oh!” where fans could submit their own designs. After receiving over 260 entries, the field has been narrowed to five finalists. Now, LEGO fans will vote to decide the winning design, with voting open until April 28th.

You can watch Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro on Max or Netflix, depending on where you are located.

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2026-04-28 23:52