Ever since Disney announced Disney+, many animation fans have been asking about the Studio Ghibli movies coming to the new streaming service, since Disney distributed many of the movies and people assumed these movies belonged to Disney.

Unfortunately, Disney’s contract with Studio Ghibli expired a few years ago, so they no longer distribute the movies.  Last year, HBO Max was announced as the new home for the Studio Ghibli movies in the US and today Netflix announced today that beginning on February 1st, 21 films from Studio Ghibli, the Academy Award-winning Japanese art house, will be made available on the service globally (excluding US, Canada, Japan), through 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. This partnership will enable fans in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America to enjoy beloved 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, “This is a dream come true for Netflix and millions of our members. 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.”

Below is the release schedule for Studio Ghibli films 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)
• 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)

For Disney fans, its a shame a contract couldn’t be made for these movies to come to Disney+, but at least now we know where they can be viewed.

Would you liked to have seen the Studio Ghibli movies on Disney+ ?

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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