Indie distributor Gkids is partnering with Studio Ghibli to handle the famed Japanese animation studio’s catalog in North America.
Beginning Oct. 17, Gkids will begin reissuing new Blu-ray and DVD editions of Studio Ghibli’s films, with six initial titles from Academy Award-winning director and studio founder Hayao Miyazaki. They are: Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and Oscar-winning Spirited Away.
These will be followed by Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Oct. 31. The remaining titles will arrive in the following months.
Gkids has handled theatrical rights for the Studio Ghibli catalog since 2010, and released the studio’s recent From Up on Poppy Hill and the Oscar-nominated titles The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There.
As previously announced, Gkids also has partnered with Fathom Events to bring six Ghibli titles back to U.S. theaters with Studio Ghibli Fest 2017. Kiki’s Delivery Service will play for two shows on July 23 and 24 in both dubbed and subtitled versions at approximately 600 theaters.
