GKIDS Acquire The Studio Ghibli Library For UK and Ireland
GKIDS Films have been the animation fan's best friend in North America for a number of years. But now it seems that they are expanding their operations across the pond. The company has announced that they have acquired the rights to the Studio Ghibli catalogue for the United Kingdom and Ireland. They have picked up theatrical, home video, TV and digital rights. Streaming rights remain with Goodfellas, who have licensed the films to Netflix.
The rights for the films remained for many years with StudioCanal, right up to When Marnie Was There. However starting with Earwig And The Witch and The Boy And The Heron they started to be released by other distributors. It seemed clear that the long standing deal had come to an end, allowing GKIDS to step in and add the territory to their existing deal for North America.
The deal covers 23 films and includes classics such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Castle In The Sky, Whisper Of The Heart, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro, Only Yesterday, Ponyo and more. It's not clear if it includes The Grave Of The Fireflies (the rights for which are held separately), Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind (which is technically pre-Ghibli) or The Red Turtle (which is a co-production).
In the US, GKIDS has also released several related titles such as Spirited Away: Live On Stage, and documentaries The Never-Ending Man and The Kingdom Of Dreams and Madness. These could potentially be released (or rereleased) in the UK, too.
GKIDS will initially be bringing Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service to IMAX screens in the UK and Ireland from August 21. The beloved story of a young witch tyring to make her own way in a new town will screen in a brand new 4K restoration. They are also already planning further 4K IMAX releases with Arrietty and Whisper Of The Heart lined up next to hit the (really really) big screen. There are plans for further IMAX screenings from this autumn, plus a re-release of the full library across home-video platforms. This isn't likely to include 4K UHD releases, at least in the short term, as currently the only Ghibli title available on 4K anywhere is The Boy and The Heron.
GKIDS will partner with UK-based sister company Anime Limited (both of them are now owned by TOHO Global). The two companies have previously partnered on several individual releases, including Arcane, Perfect Blue and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
“GKIDS is delighted to extend our relationship with Studio Ghibli into the U.K. and Ireland, and to have this opportunity to reintroduce these incomparable films to audiences old and new,” said David Jesteadt, president of GKIDS.
“We are very happy to be working together with Gkids to bring the renowned Studio Ghibli library to U.K. and Irish audiences,” added Vincent Maraval, president of Goodfellas.
Meanwhile, GKIDS continues to regularly rerelease Ghibli films in cinemas in the US and Canada as part of the ongoing GhibliFest. Next up, My Neighbour Totoro is in cinemas from July 11-15.
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