Anne of Green Gables, the iconic anime from Studio Ghibli legend Isao Takahata, is officially getting a reboot in 2025. While Isao Takahata is best known as the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of Grave of the Fireflies and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, he had a storied career well before then, and by that time, he was already known as one of the biggest anime directors around.
Of all of Isao Takahata’s pre-Studio Ghibli work, the one he’s probably most famous for is the 1979 adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Of all the Anne of Green Gables adaptations, the anime is often seen as the most iconic adaptation and was most people’s introduction to the story worldwide, and surprisingly, Anne of Green Gables will receive a reboot in 2025 from The Answer Studio titled Anne Shirley. Not much is known about the new series, but with the amazing pedigree of the original, it has a lot to live up to.
How The Anne Of Green Gables Anime Brought Studio Ghibli’s Biggest Names Together
A big part of what made the original Anne of Green Gables anime so special was its place in the history of Studio Ghibli. Not only was the anime directed by Isao Takahata, but Anne of Green Gables also had Hayao Miyazaki doing scene and setting layout and Yoshifumi Kondo as character designer and animation director. Hayao Miyazaki’s reputation goes without saying, but Yoshifumi Kondo directed Studio Ghibli’s underrated classic Whisper of the Heart, so Anne of Green Gables can be seen as a major gathering for Studio Ghibli’s biggest names.
That sort of pedigree puts a lot of expectations on 2025’s Anne Shirley, especially with what little is known about it. While the specific staff involved with Anne Shirley is currently unknown, it’s being produced by The Answer Studio, currently best known for Tower of God’s controversial second season, so unfortunately, Anne Shirley might not have the production values to live up to the legacy of its predecessor. It’s still too early to make a definitive statement on anything, of course, and with any luck, Anne Shirley will get the staff a story like it deserves.
How The New Anne Of Green Gables Anime Will Be Different From The Original
What To Expect From 2025’s Anne Shirley
With Anne Shirley being a reboot of Anne of Green Gables, that invites the question of how it will be different from the original anime. The original anime only covered the events of the first book, but the official website lists the Japanese titles for Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, the two books to follow the original Anne of Green Gables. Add in how the title of the new anime is just Anne Shirley, and Anne Shirley will likely cover far more of the Anne of Green Gables franchise than the original anime, possibly the entire series.
As iconic as the original anime was, there’s definitely a sense of incompleteness to it due to it only adapting the first book, so Anne Shirley adapting more books than Anne of Green Gables can create a more complete story that justifies watching it over the original. If that does end up happening, then so long as the production is good, the new Anne of Green Gables anime will be a great one to watch and, ideally, do a perfect job of living up to Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli’s legacy.
Sources: Anne Shirley‘s official X account; Anne Shirley‘s official website.
