Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest Japanese animators and mangakas of all time. His latest animated film, The Boy and the Heron, won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film this year.
Since the Oscar win, the film has seen an increase in demand, but it was not available to stream anywhere. This is about to change very soon, thanks to a deal between Netflix and Studio Ghibli. While this news will bring joy to anime lovers all over the world, it is bad news for viewers in the US and Japan.
Netflix gets the streaming rights for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron
Netflix holds the streaming rights to Studio Ghibli Films, which was co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki. And now, the streaming giant is set to stream Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film around the world.
The Boy and the Heron is a semi-autobiographical film, written, hand-drawn, and directed by Miyazaki himself. Moreover, the film is special because he announced his retirement in 2013, but then he changed his mind to make his first film in 10 years.
The feature follows the story of Mahito Maki, a young boy who gets lost in a fantastical world by talking to a grey heron. The director drew inspiration from his childhood to create the protagonist and ended up winning an Oscar.
Following its success at the Oscars, the film is set to premiere on Netflix later this year. The streaming platform recently struck a deal with Studio Ghibli, and Miyazaki’s film is part of the slate of animated films that will be available very soon.
As for the US, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max holds the exclusive rights to Studio Ghibli films. GKIDS, the distributor of the studio in North America, extended their multi-year partnership, which was first signed in 2020. Japan is also excluded from the Netflix deal.
The Boy and the Heron did very well at the box office. It raked in $85 million in Japan, followed by $12.8 million in the US. The film will make its way to theaters in China in April this year.
Netflix has an assortment of Studio Ghibli films on offer
The streaming giant is home to several films from all over the world, including animated films from Japan. As part of its new deal with the studio, the platform now holds the rights to 22 other titles from Studio Ghibli as well.
Spirited Away, another one of Miyazaki’s masterpieces, features on the list. It won the animator his first Oscar in 2003.
Some of the other films that join Miyazaki’s latest feature are Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. These will be available to stream globally, except in the US. Moreover, these films will be dubbed in up to 20 languages.
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest storytellers the world has ever seen. He has touched people with his craft and left an indelible mark.
