Netflix once again manages to position itself as one of the best streaming platforms when it comes to anime. Although it does not have as much volume as other services, the acquisition of new titles is strengthening its proposal. And now it is announced that it will be its service that will premiere the most important film of the year in Spain. I’m sure you can imagine what it could be!
There is something that Japanese users who pay for Netflix every month envy the Spanish: the possibility of watching Studio Ghibli films. Because the license of these films, the productions of the master Miyazaki, eternally considered the “Japanese Disney”, are in the hands of Netflix in Europe and other parts of the world. Meanwhile, in Japan there is no human way to watch them streaming. And now it has just been announced that Ghibli has renewed its contract with Netflix. What does that mean?
The Boy and the Heron on Netflix
If Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro or Whispers of the Heart are available on Netflix Spain, it was to be expected that The Boy and the Heron would also enter the platform’s catalogue. But until a few hours ago we were not completely sure, since it was pending to see what would happen in the relationship between the streaming platform and the rights owners.
Luckily, the agreement that Netflix has renewed with GKIDS and Goodfellas has led to confirmation of the good news. The original contract with Netflix was signed in 2020 and was one of the best decisions the streaming platform could have made. I knew that, to fight against Disney and its historic animation catalogue, there was nothing better than the also historic repertoire of Studio Ghibli films. Now not only is it guaranteed that the films will continue to be available, but the premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest will also be added in due course.
Will arrive at the end of the year
For now there is no date, but it has been mentioned that the information on the premiere of The Boy and the Heron will be revealed before the end of 2024. This is great news in view of the fact that we can imagine ending the year with the viewing of a film that is already historic. After all, as you surely remember, this Miyazaki production passed with all the honors at the recent Oscar ceremony, where it received the statuette for best animated film.
The Boy and the Heron, a film that you may have already had the chance to see, was originally released in Japan with a maximum level of secrecy. The studio didn’t want anyone to know anything about the film. His intention was for viewers to encounter the film without having discovered previous details of the story. Because of this, its promotional poster was a very simple image in which practically nothing could be seen. At the same time, viewers were asked to keep the story and everything related to the film a secret, so as not to spoil anyone’s experience.
Thanks to the renewal of the contract with Studio Ghibli, it is confirmed that Netflix will maintain the 22 films it already has from the studio in its catalog. They will continue to be available in all markets except Japan and the United States, and will also continue to have full audio track and subtitle support. The intention is that Ghibli productions can be made even more known and that the legend of Hayao Miyazaki and his team grows.
Meanwhile, in Japan there is no streaming platform that has Ghibli films, which may be shocking for those who live outside the country of the rising sun. They also cannot be rented digitally, with the use of traditional physical video stores and broadcasting on television being the best options to view them. After all, each Ghibli film is broadcast between one and two times a year on Japanese television channels. Even so, it is still interesting how lucky we are in Spain if we think about the convenience we have to watch the entire Ghibli catalog on Netflix.
