Ghibli Plains



A field of grass stretches out as far as the eye can see, on a clear, blue day. Clouds float effortlessly across the landscape, leaving behind gentle dark shadows in their paths. Colourful blades of grass sway in the wind, softly dancing to the beat of nature. A tiny cottage rests in the distance, its inhabitants living in paradise and joy. A gentle wind whispers in your ear. Your mind is concentrated on what's in front of you, and a relaxing sense of comfort washes over you. Enjoy the sun, lay on the grass, and just adore life, for you are in Ghibli Plains.

If Ghibli Hills are vast, sprawling forests, Ghibli Plains are vast, sprawling fields. The former trope tends to be much busier, creating a detailed yet relaxing landscape of trees, birds, dirt, animals, grass, and flowers all existing in harmony. Ghibli Plains is a much simpler trope: you have a vast plain, and you have grass. There may be a river or two crossing through the plain, and there may be some ruins or a home in the corner. Overall, Ghibli Plains places less of an emphasis on the nature, and more of an emphasis on space. Also, Ghibli Plains are much safer than Ghibli Hills, as Ghibli Hills is filled with creatures that want you dead. You can easily tell the tropes apart by how much trees are in a shot: a lot of trees means you're in Ghibli Hills territory, fewer trees means you're in Ghibli Plains.

That said, the two tropes does have a lot of overlap. In fact, Ghibli Plains is the Sister Trope to Ghibli Hills. If one trope is used, then expect the other to be used somewhere else in the work. In fact, they may occur next to each other: after emerging from the Hills, you arrive in Plains, or long stretches of Ghibli Plains end in Ghibli Hills. Dream Land probably features a lot of Ghibli Plains. Expect a lot of Scenery Porn focusing on these plains. Common in fantasy establishing shots.

Studio Ghibli uses this trope to create a serene sense of beauty, and evoke feelings of wonder. It is used to calm audiences down, and relax their minds between more intense scenes. Ghibli uses the trope to showcase the beauty of everyday life, offering a form of escapism from a loud, car-filled city. It's a nice place to travel through, providing contrast with car-filled cities in films such as Kiki's Delivery Service. That isn't the only way to use the trope, though. You can use it to establish an epic world by showing how sprawling and vast it is. Lastly, it's a nice thing to put in the background, while your foreground characters go about their business.

Named after the wide, open setting of Studio Ghibli films, particularly The Wind Rises and Spirited Away.

Studio Ghibli

 * My Neighbor Totoro features many shots into the distance with farmland. There is a smaller version of Ghibli Plains around Mei and Satsuki's house. Scenes with Totoro usually go into Ghibli Hills territory.
 * Kiki's Delivery Service opens with Kiki lying on Ghibli Plains. They overlook a glittering lake, with soft wind blowing on grass, dancing flowers, and a busy buzzy bee. Kiki flies over some Plains on her way to Koriko at night time. They're also prominent in the fields surrounding Koriko, with wide open grassfields mixing in with Ghibli Hills.
 * In Porco Rosso, these plains are seen passing under Porco's plane as he flies across the land.
 * The ending shot of On Your Mark, when the angel is flying away into the sky, takes place in a lush, open field. After escaping from the narrow, confined habitats and nuclear reactors, you'll arrive in wide Ghibli Plains in their natural habitat.
 * Spirited Away uses Ghibli Plains to bridge the gap between the human world and the spirit world. The trope image is taken from the Denouement of Spirited Away. Chihiro and her family walks across these lush fields to reach the abandoned theme park housing the spirit world, and Chihiro returns to the human world via these plains. At night, they are flooded so spirits can arrive on boats. During day, they are just another regular field.
 * In The Cat Returns, when The Hero Haru first arrived in the Cat Kingdom, she is in Ghibli Plains, with lush cattails blowing in the wind and small cat cottages in the background. In fact, Ghibli Plains appear on the film poster.
 * In Howl's Moving Castle, the titular moving castle often takes a journey through Ghibli Plains. Ghibli Plains are a frequent occurrence in the countryside.
 * In The Borrower Arrietty, Sho sometimes lies down in the garden--a miniature version of Ghibli Plains--to read a book. It's a small, secluded place, not as sprawling as other examples, but making up for it in its cosiness. There's trees growing overhead and a small stream crossing through the garden.
 * The Wind Rises uses plenty of this trope in Dream Sequences. The vastness of plains creates a feeling of wonder, while also being a pragmatic place for fantastical aeroplanes to take off from and fly over.
 * In The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, the titular Princess Kaguya and Sutemaru fly through Ghibli Plains near the end of the film, representing Princess Kaguya's freedom to be away from the harsh expectations of royalty.
 * In When Marnie Was There, Ghibli Plains are seen around the Marsh House Anna visits.
 * Dream Sequences in the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga and its film adaptation takes place in golden Ghibli Plains.

Everybody Else

 * The opening of Violet Evergarden features Violet standing in vast, sprawling plains with way too much False Camera Effects.
 * In Violet Evergarden: The Movie, the island where lives is filled to the brim with Ghibli Plains stretching out as far as the eye can see.
 * Suzume (film) opens and ends with Ghibli Plains near night time in the Ever After.
 * In Weathering with You, Hodaka's home town is filled with these. This is a rare example where the trope isn't romanticised, with how Hodaka feels "suffocated" at his home, chasing the sunlight which falls just outside his island, onto the sea. In the climax,.
 * Land of the Lustrous is quite fond of this trope. There isn't much going on in its world, and its world is only populated with basic wildlife like plants (excluding the minerals who became humanoids). Thus, it features many shots of vast sprawling plains.
 * In Witch Hat Atelier, Qifrey's Atelier is located in the centre of Ghibli Plains. This is best shown in a two page panel at the start of chapter 2.
 * Your Name features a vast green plain in a crater just outside the impact zone.
 * Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms ends with Maquia travelling on a cart through golden Ghibli Plains. The last shot of the film before the credits roll is of green grass and flowers swaying in the wind.
 * The countryside in Mary and the Witch's Flower features both Ghibli Plains and Hills. It's a great example of the two tropes being used side by side. The actual adventure begins in Ghibli Hills, but Mary travels through Ghibli Plains to reach the hills. A short walk from Mary's home will get you to Ghibli Plains.

Film

 * The Lion King takes place on a vast plain. The trope is used frequently throughout, particularly in the opening sequence.
 * The film adaptation of Mortal Engines sees cities on wheels moving through vast, sprawling landscapes.

Western Animation

 * In High Guardian Spice, Rosemary and Sage's hometown is filled with Ghibli Plains. High Guardian Academy, being in the middle of the busy Lyngarth city, is less so.

Real Life

 * Go to any farm, and you'll see vast, flat sprawling bits of greenery with not a lot of trees in the way. Drive out to the countryside, walk a couple of miles away from the road, and you'll probably encounter Ghibli Plains. If not, then you've encountered the Sister Trope Ghibli Hills.