All 21 of Studio Ghibli's feature length films are coming to HBO Max in 2020. With the recent reveal that its new streaming service would be called HBO Max, WarnerMedia has made a strong commitment to increasing the competition in streaming entertainment.
HBO has certainly been a name synonymous with quality over the years, and the plan to amalgamate all of its hit programming as well as other licensed TV shows and films has been a big draw for many. While HBO Max has yet to launch, it has already set its sights on a 2020 release and exactly what will be available to new customers continues to evolve as time passes. So far, the amount of original programming promised looks intriguing, and HBO Max is quietly becoming one of the first to offer licensed content that hasn't previously been offered by any of the other subscription streaming competitors.
One such example is the newly announced addition of the entire Ghibli film library. HBO Max has teamed up with GKIDS in order to bring the full Ghibli film catalog to subscribers. Though the releases of the films will be staggered, Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya will all be available on the service at its launch, with other titles to later follow. Here's the complete list of Studio Ghibli films coming 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
Speaking about the new deal between Ghibli and WarnerMedia, Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Hoshino said:
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.
While this move is definitely one of interest to fans of Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, as well as Japanese animation in general, it has not been revealed if the complete list will offer the choice of watching the films in their original Japanese audio with subtitles, or whether they will only have English dubs. This is far from a deal breaker of any sort, but for some Ghibli fans it does make a big difference. At any rate, a partnership with Ghibli is an excellent way to help differentiate HBO Max’s service from others, highlighting the type of move that will need to be made to differentiate themselves from the steadily growing list of competitors.
Each time a new company makes the decision to move into the subscription streaming arena, there's a certain degree of skepticism over whether it can compete with established titans like Netflix. But as time passes, it’s becoming clear that the variety of content available and the amount of providers offering said content is unlimited. If HBO Max has proven anything, it’s that in this rapidly changing landscape, audiences exist for so many different genres that the providers who take the time to delve a little deeper will very often be rewarded.
Source: HBO Max (via Crunchy Roll)