On Feb. 21, 2024, Facebook account @YODA BBY ABY posted a claim positing that Studio Ghibli – a Japanese animation company – would be releasing its latest film, titled "The Last Guardian of Wind Valley," in August 2024. The caption for the Facebook post read:
NEW STUDIO GHIBLI!!!
Embark on a magical journey with Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. Director Miyazaki's latest masterpiece, "The Last Guardian of Wind Valley," where two brave children discover a mythical Guardian thought to be extinct. This enchanting tale of friendship, adventure, and courage will sweep you into the heart of Wind Valley, where playful giants once roamed and fiercely guarded their realm. Join us in theaters August 2024, for a spellbinding experience that celebrates the unbreakable bonds that protect us through life's trials and tribulations.
The post gained more than 22,000 reactions and 1,600 comments, at the time of this writing. Response to the post was flooded with users tagging their Facebook friends in excitement. "Truly excited for this one!" one user wrote.
Unfortunately for the excited commenter, this poster was fabricated and no such movie will be released. If such a movie were set to be released, the official social media pages for Studio Ghibli would have announced it.
The Facebook account that originally shared the fake poster has made dozens of similarly fake movie posters. The account appears to be connected with another site called screenslant.com. The page's bio has a disclaimer as follows:
I'm just here to eat frogs, lift rocks and be satirical. The page is 100% satire and fake news. ❤️
We've previously debunked other such rumors related to fake movie posters, such as this one claiming to be an official poster for a sequel to the '80s film series 'The NeverEnding Story' and another fake poster for a "Speed 3" film starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.