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Netflix is the new home of the Studio Ghibli collection, the company announced out of Singapore on Monday. But if you live in North America, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Beginning on Feb. 1, 21 films from the Studio Ghibli collection will begin rolling out on the streaming service globally — excluding the U.S., Canada, and Japan. The specific titles and the launch dates are as follows:
Feb. 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)
“This is a dream come true for Netflix and millions of our members,” Aram Yacoubian, director of original animation at Netflix, said in a statement. “Studio Ghibli’s animated films are legendary and have enthralled fans around the world for over 35 years. We’re excited to make them available in more languages across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia — so that more people can enjoy this whimsical and wonderful world of animation.”
North American fans wondering when they’ll get a chance to watch the films of Hayao Miyazaki and his collaborators with the click of a button might recall that, last October, WarnerMedia announced a deal to bring the animated classics to its new HBO Max platform. The streaming service is expected to launch in May.
In 2014, Studio Ghibli shut down following the announcement of Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement. But with a Ghibli theme park under construction with plans to open in 2022, and a new Miyazaki film in the works, there’s a reason why Ghibli might finally back down from its strict theatrical-only distribution model to reinvigorate its business. With well over 150 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix becomes the obvious partner to cultivate a new generation of Ghibli fans. Except for Americans: They’ll have to sign up for a brand-new service. Welcome to the streaming wars.
