GKIDS has announced that it will release 21 Studio Ghibli films for digital download-to-own in the United States and Canada on December 17, 2019 on digital transaction platforms including Apple TV, Amazon VOD, Vudu, Google Play, Sony, Microsoft, and FandangoNOW. The films will be available in English and in Japanese with English subtitles. This marks the first time that the films will be available for digital transaction. The films include:

• 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
• The Wind Rises (launching in the third quarter of 2020)

There will also be a six-film bundle that includes Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away.

Source: ANN

On October 16, 2019, Anime News Network had posted an article that was sourced from Polygon, stating that Studio Ghibli’s films would not be coming to streaming services any time soon. The Polygon article by Matt Patches was published on October 15, 2019, and sourced North American film distributor GKIDS.

But then on October 18, 2019, it was announced that Studio Ghibli’s films would be streaming on HBO Max starting in Spring 2020.

Anime News Network is now reporting that GKIDS clarified what happened on their Twitter account. According the company, they were not contacted for the article and the statement that served as the basis for the claim that the films will not come to streaming services is dated to 2018.

Polygon’s article included the statement “GKids was unable to provide a comment from a Studio Ghibli representation for further clarification or additional updates on deals in progress.” According to GKIDS, they were not contacted in the last week for the Polygon piece.

Source: ANN

Film distributor GKids has told Polygon that there are currently no plans to release Studio Ghibli’s catalog on streaming services, be it Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+. The same goes for pay-per-view streaming services like Amazon Prime or Apple Movies.

“Studio Ghibli does not make their films available digitally, whether for download or streaming, anywhere in the world,” a GKids representative told Polygon. “They continue to believe that presentation is vital and particularly appreciate opportunities for audiences to experience the films together in a theatrical setting.”

Source: ANN