In addition to solarpunk, the celebrated films of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli provided a key reference point for this campaign—with their gorgeous traditional animation style, and with their themes of balance between humanity, technology, and the natural world.

We wanted to musically represent this symbiosis, and our first choice of composer was simultaneously obvious and seemingly out-of-reach: Joe Hisaishi.

Hisaishi is a multi-award-winning composer who has scored all but one of Miyazaki’s films. He almost never works with brands, but upon seeing Chobani’s treatment, he was instantly inspired to create something.

Hisaishi created a gorgeous melody—simultaneously nostalgic, optimistic, and full of possibility—to support the film’s narrative. The score and sound design were arranged in tandem with the animation, creating a cohesive, perfectly interwoven whole.

Once the arrangement was finalized, Hisaishi brought in his most trusted musicians for a live recording session in Japan.