And Just Like That, 21 Studio Ghibli Movies Will Stream on HBO Max in 2020

Zack Sharf

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Iconic Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli has signed a landmark deal to bring 21 movies exclusively to HBO Max. The upcoming streaming platform from WarnerMedia is launching in April 2020. The deal marks the first time Studio Ghibli movies have ever been licensed to a streaming platform.

At the time of HBO Max’s launch, such Studio Ghibli titles as Oscar winner “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” and “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya” will be available to stream, among others. Additional films such as Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises” will debut on HBO Max in fall 2020.

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“We are excited to be working with HBO Max to bring the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films to streaming audiences in the U.S.,” Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Hoshino said in a statement. “As a premium content brand, HBO Max is an ideal home for our films. Upon launch of the service this spring, existing Ghibli fans will be able enjoy their favorites and delve deeper into the library, while whole new audiences will be able to discover our films for the first time.”

HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly added, “Studio Ghibli films are visually breathtaking, completely immersive experiences. Exciting, enchanting, and deeply humanistic, these wonderful films have captured people’s hearts around the world, and we are proud to showcase them in an accessible way for even more fans through HBO Max.”

Studio Ghibli has never gone streaming before. As Polygon reported earlier this week, the studio’s North American distributor GKids once said, “Studio Ghibli does not make their films available digitally, whether for download or streaming, anywhere in the world. They continue to believe that presentation is vital and particularly appreciate opportunities for audiences to experience the films together in a theatrical setting.”

Clearly not even Studio Ghibli can resist the streaming era. The following list represents the complete catalogue of Studio Ghibli films that will be streaming on HBO Max in 2020.

“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”

Launch Gallery: The 20 Most Iconic Characters In Studio Ghibli History

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