Gkids has picked up U.K. and Ireland distribution rights to Studio Ghibli‘s 23-title film library, adding theatrical, home video, TV and digital rights across the territory to its slate.
The rollout begins with an Imax release of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” in the U.K. and Ireland on August 21. The Ghibli catalog includes the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away” and “The Boy and the Heron,” Oscar-nominated titles “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya,” “The Wind Rises” and “When Marnie Was There,” along with “Princess Mononoke,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Ponyo” and “Castle in the Sky,” among others. Most of the films have had limited availability in the territory for several years.
Additional Imax releases are already lined up, including “The Secret World of Arrietty” (released in the U.K. as “Arrietty”) and “Whisper of the Heart.” Gkids also plans further Imax releases of new 4K Ghibli remasters starting in fall 2026, alongside a re-release of the full library across home video platforms.
In the U.K. and Ireland, Gkids will partner with Anime Limited, the Glasgow-based distributor recently acquired by Gkids parent company Toho Global. The two companies have collaborated on releases including “Arcane,” “Perfect Blue” and “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” and will jointly handle the upcoming release of Toho’s “Godzilla Minus Zero.”
