Four Studio Ghibli builds are still alive in the LEGO Ideas review process right now. That’s the closest fans have gotten to an official Ghibli set, and it’s happening after years of submissions that went nowhere.
Here’s how the system works, if you’ve never gone down this particular rabbit hole. LEGO runs an entire product line built from community concepts. You upload your custom build to the LEGO Ideas website, and if enough people back it, the set moves into review with a real shot at becoming something you can buy.
The Ghibli pitch keeps coming back
Fans have been submitting Ghibli-themed builds for years. LEGO has never picked one for release. But nothing has closed the door either.
The first round of 2026 LEGO Ideas officially entering review was announced back in May. Counting that batch and the holdovers from last year, four Ghibli sets are still in contention to become the franchise’s first official LEGO build.
Why good ideas die anyway
Popularity isn’t the deciding factor. A LEGO Idea can stall for all kinds of reasons, and when the concept is welded to an existing IP, licensing is usually the culprit.
Look at what dominates the shelves. Star Wars, Marvel and Disney sets all reach LEGO through official licensing with The Walt Disney Company. Ghibli doesn’t work that way. For anything tied to the Studio Ghibli movies, LEGO would need approval from the studio itself.
And that’s the wall. If LEGO could route a deal through an existing partner like Disney, Nintendo, Warner Bros. or Netflix, one of the many submissions from over the years would almost certainly be sitting in a store by now. A deal isn’t impossible. There are just more hoops to jump through than something like an X-Files set.
The 40th anniversary angle
Four builds surviving the review process at once is a promising sign that an official set could be in our future. This isn’t the first Ghibli concept to make it this far either. That distinction goes to a Spirited Away build that went through review earlier.
What’s different this time: two of the MOCs still standing are tied to the 40th Anniversary.
