Studio Ghibli Movies Will Stream For The Very First Time On HBO Max

Never say never, folks.

By Oct. 17, 2019

Here's a surprising development: according to Deadline, HBO Max has secured the streaming rights to over twenty of Studio Ghibli's animated films. It's the first time the studio's output has been licensed to a streaming service, and a development many fans figured would never happen (Y'know, kinda like how TOOL held off on letting their albums be streamed for years; Studio Ghibli is like TOOL).

Here are the titles headed to HBO Max:

  • 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

This is a helluva coup for HBO Max, and very exciting for those of us who haven't yet made our way through many of these Ghibli titles (most of which, by the way, are expected to be available when HBO Max launches next year). If you weren't already sold on this particular streaming service, well, this is a serious deal-sweetener.

Says Koji Hoshino, Chairman of Studio Ghibli:

“We are excited to be working with HBO Max to bring the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films to streaming audiences in the US. 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.”

Nothing further to report on this front, but we're both surprised and excited to be reporting this news. You as hyped as we are? Unamused? Neither? Sound off in the comments below, and do stay tuned for more on HBO Max's offerings as further updates roll in. These folks are clearly wheeling in the big guns.

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