Studio Ghibli’s Film Catalog Will Be Available for Digital Purchase for the First Time

GKids will release the entire Studio Ghibli catalog of animated films for digital purchase for the first time in North America on Dec. 17.

The Tokyo-based Studio Ghibli catalog includes best animated film Academy Award winner “Spirited Away” and five other Oscar-nominated titles: “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “The Wind Rises,” “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “When Marnie Was There” and “The Red Turtle,” which was co-produced with Wild Bunch.

Films will be available to purchase in both English and Japanese languages on all major digital transactional platforms. It’s the first time the Studio Ghibli films will be available for digital purchase anywhere in the world. GKids previously announced an exclusive U.S. streaming deal with HBO Max for the Studio Ghibli library starting in May.

Director and studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki was given an honorary award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards in 2014, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will pay tribute to his artwork with a special exhibit when it opens in 2020.

The Studio Ghibli catalog also includes “Castle in the Sky,” “The Cat Returns,” “From Up on Poppy Hill,” “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,” “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Tales From Earthsea” and “Whisper of the Heart.”

“The Wind Rises” will be available in the third quarter of 2020. The suggested retail price is $19.99 per film.

By Dave McNary