A number of Studio Ghibli films are set to be made available for streaming on Netflix for next month.
21 of the Japanese animation house’s films will come to the subscription streaming service for the first time, and will be rolled out over the course of the next few months.
My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, Only Yesterday, Ocean Waves and Tales from Earthsea are the first to be made available on February 1.
A month later, on March 1, Netflix will add Spirited Away, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Cat Returns, Arrietty and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya.
The final set of films – Pom Poko, Whisper of the Heart, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, From Up on Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises and When Marnie Was There – will go online on April 1.
"In this day and age, there are various great ways a film can reach audiences," said Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki. "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."
All of the films will be made available in their native Japanese with subtitles. Netflix, however, will be providing its own subtitles for 28 languages as well as 20 new language dubs. The films will be available worldwide with the exception of North America and Japan.
Joe Hisaishi’s scores for Studio Ghibli films Kiki’s Delivery Service and Porco Rosso are being pressed to vinyl for the first time this March.
Read tQ’s 2014 feature on writers’ favourite Studio Ghibli films here.
