The complete film collection from Japan’s Oscar-winning animation house Studio Ghibli has been spirited away by HBO Max. The features will stream exclusively on WarnerMedia’s SVOD in the US upon its launch in spring 2020.
The US streaming deal, brokered by distributor GKIDS, marks the first time the animation house’s content has been licensed to a streaming service.
Studio Ghibli films including Spirited Away (pictured), My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya will be available at the launch of HBO Max. Additional content, including The Wind Rises, will bow on the platform in fall 2020.
The Studio Ghibli film slate joins HBO Max’s relatively small kids offering, including the recent Sesame Workshop agreement for new seasons of Sesame Street, as well as annual specials and spinoffs; Little Ellen, an animated series featuring Ellen DeGeneres as a seven-year-old; an animated Gremlins reboot from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment; and non-fiction competition shows Karma and Craftopia.