It’s time to relive the Studio Ghibli magic as global online entertainment platform, Netflix just announced that beginning February, 21 films from the Academy Award®-winning Japanese art house will be available to subscribers in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. This is the fruition of a remarkable partnership with distribution partner Wild Bunch International, as part of the company’s continued efforts to grow its best-in-class library of animated films.
For the first time ever, this expansive catalogue of Studio Ghibli films will be subtitled in 28 languages, and dubbed in up to 20 languages, giving access to fans of well-known classics, such as Academy Award®-winner Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, among others, in their native languages.
Producer Toshio Suzuki at Studio Ghibli said, “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”.
Vincent Maraval, Chief Executive Officer at Wild Bunch International said, “In finding the best digital partner for Studio Ghibli, our most valuable and faithful collaborators for 20 years, the Netflix team convinced us with their consistent love and energy for finding the best ways to promote the incredible and unique catalogue worldwide with respect to the Studio Ghibli philosophy”.
Aram Yacoubian, Director of Original Animation at Netflix, said, “Studio Ghibli is world-renowned for creating visually stunning, original animated films that have enthralled fans for over 35 years. We are excited and humbled to help make this catalogue of films easier to discover and access, and believe that these masterpieces will resonate with even more fans around the world now that they are available in more languages. We look forward to welcoming a new generation of fans into the whimsical worlds and wonderful protagonists created by the amazing artists of Studio Ghibli.”
Plot your calendars on the scheduled release of these Studio Ghibli classics on Netflix:
- 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)
- Castle in the Sky (1986),
- 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)
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984),
- 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)
- Pom Poko (1994),
The legendary Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Japanese animated film directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli has produced twenty-two feature-length films garnering worldwide acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
Cultivating a creative force of talented directors, animators, and storytellers under the revered brilliance of Takahata and Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli films have been praised for their originality, dazzling animation, and epic storytelling becoming a beloved part of Japanese popular culture. Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature of 2002 and in 2005 Miyazaki was named one of “the most influential people” by TIME Magazine.
Based in Paris, Wild Bunch International is a world-renowned independent film sales company, its position strengthened by both a wealth of experience recognized by foreign distributors world-wide and abroad, artistically diverse selection of the best of director-led international cinema, currently handling an international sales catalogue of around 500 titles.