Studio Ghibli films to stream exclusively on HBO Max

Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind…all of these films and more were made by Studio Ghibli, all of them are really good, and all of them will be streaming exclusively on HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s new streaming service, when it launches in spring of 2020, according to a new report from Variety.

“Studio Ghibli films are visually breathtaking, completely immersive experiences” said HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly. “Exciting, enchanting, and deeply humanistic, these wonderful films have captured people’s hearts around the world, and we are proud to showcase them in an accessible way for even more fans through HBO Max.”

This announcement comes as something of a surprise, since Studio Ghibli co-founder and animation legend Hayao Miyazaki has long been skeptical about putting his films on streaming services. Literally yesterday, there were reports about how the studio had no plans to ever stream its films.

What a difference a day makes. Now, Studio Ghibli chairman Koji Hoshino is all about that streaming life:

"We are excited to be working with HBO Max to bring the complete collection of Studio Ghibli films to streaming audiences in the U.S. 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."

However it happened, this is definitely good news for viewers, and good news for WarnerMedia, which is looking for ways to get a leg up on competing streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Peacock, CBS All Access, Amazon Video, and on and on.

Original programming, of course, is very important to the health of a streaming service. Netflix is currently basking in sky-high numbers for Stranger Things, Amazon is readying shows based on The Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time, etc. But a lot of subscribers just want to settle down with something quick and familiar. Some of the most consistently popular shows of the last couple decades are getting divided up between the streamers. Netflix will have Seinfeld, Disney+ has The Simpsons, Peacock is taking back The Office,  and HBO Max has lined up Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Having the Studio Ghibli catalog gives HBO Max another boost, and could give it some ammunition to battle Disney+ in particular, which will come loaded with an 80-year backlog of classic animated movies.

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There’s still a lot we don’t know about HBO Max. Will it fold in things from HBO proper, stuff like Game of Thrones and Succession and Veep? If so, that’ll give it another big leg up. I still don’t like the name, though.

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