Netflix has announced that it has acquired global streaming rights to Studio Ghibli’s critically acclaimed catalog, which comprises classics such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. It isn’t clear when (or if) these titles will be available to US-based subscribers, but Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America can enjoy the Japanese art house’s films beginning on February 1.
The agreement is rather surprising, as Studio Ghibli hasn’t been keen on the idea of its works being streamed on digital platforms. Netflix (and German-based distributor Wild Bunch) was able to convince the studio that this would be a great way of bringing its films to an even bigger audience.
Producer Toshio Suzuki at Studio Ghibli: “In this day and age, there are various great ways a film can reach audiences. We’ve listened to our fans and have made the definitive decision to stream our film catalogue. We hope people around the world will discover the world of Studio Ghibli through this experience”.
The Netflix versions of Studio Ghibli’s films will be subtitled in 28 languages. They’ll also be dubbed in up to 20 languages. The release schedule is as follows:
February 1, 2020:
Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Only Yesterday (1991), Porco Rosso (1992), Ocean Waves (1993), Tales from Earthsea (2006)
March 1, 2020:
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Princess Mononoke (1997), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), Spirited Away (2001), The Cat Returns (2002), Arrietty (2010), The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
April 1, 2020:
Pom Poko (1994), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Wind Rises (2013), When Marnie Was There (2014)
Studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki and his talented team are currently hard at work on Studio Ghibli’s 22nd production, How Do You Live?, which is based upon the 1973 book of the same name. This will supposedly be Miyazaki’s final film.