The moment that Studio Ghibli fans have been waiting for is finally upon us! It's been announced that HBO Max has landed the U.S. streaming rights to Japan’s premiere and Oscar-winning animation gallery, Studio Ghibli.
The deal, which had been struck with North American distributor GKIDS, includes the following films from Studio Ghibli's enchanted library of features: Castle in the Sky, The Cat Returns, From Up On Poppy Hill, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Ocean Waves, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, Ponyo, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, The Secret World of Arrietty, Spirited Away, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, Tales From Earthsea, When Marnie Was There, Whisper of the Heart and The Wind Rises. All films will be made available to subscribers when HBO Max launches. The one exception being Hayao Miyazaki's THE WIND RISES, which will make its HBO Max debut sometime during the fall of 2020.
“We are excited to be working with HBO Max to bring the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films to streaming audiences in the US. As a premium content brand, HBO Max is an ideal home for our films,” said Koji Hoshino, Chairman of Studio Ghibli. “Upon launch of the service this spring, existing Ghibli fans will be able enjoy their favorites and delve deeper into the library, while whole new audiences will be able to discover our films for the first time.”
For the past 30 years, Studio Ghibli has presented a spoil of timeless animated classics across generations of fans. Their Oscar-winning feature, SPIRITED AWAY, is among my favorite animated films of all time, with director and studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki leading the charge for many of the studio's most celebrated cinematic gems. In 2014, Miyazaki was presented with an Honorary Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards for his lasting contributions to the animation medium, and soon the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will honor the filmmaker and his artwork with special exhibit when the Museum opens its doors in 2020.