©The Boy and the Heron, GKIDS

Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed animations will continue to be streamed in the United States on the Max platform, thanks to an extension of an multi-year arrangement with GKIDS, the entity that manages North American distribution for the Japanese animators.

The deal includes 23 titles, including the recent Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron by Hayao Miyazaki. No release date has yet been announced for that acclaimed film, which is the second of Miyazaki’s animations to win an Oscar, after Spirited Away did so in 2002. With a musical score by Joe Hisaishi, The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s first film in ten years.

In announcing the arrangement, Elizabeth Bannan Atcheson, the vice president of content acquisition for Warner Bros. Discovery, was quoted as saying: “Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add The Boy and the Heron to our deep and rich Max content offering.”

It’s likely that more of Miyazaki’s work may be included in future deals. The 83-year-old director is reportedly regretting the fact that, a dozen years ago, he’d talked about plans to retire. At the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, Studio Ghibli’s vice president Junichi Nishioka said that Miyazaki was again pitching ideas for new animations. He is the oldest director ever nominated for a best animated feature at the Academy Awards.

In addition to The Boy and the Heron and Spirited Away, the roster of 23 titles that are part of the new deal with Max include the award-winning titles My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke,The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kagaya, and When Marnie Was There.

Studio Ghibli’s titles have been available on Max since its launch (as HBO Max) in 2020. Max is a proprietary unit of Warner Brox. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment.

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