‘The Boy and the Heron’ to Stream on Netflix Worldwide

Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka) will stream on Netflix around the world outside the U.S. and Japan as part of a deal unveiled Tuesday.

Netflix will also nab an additional 22 Studio Ghibli films as it extends its agreement with the revered animation studio founded by Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. In the U.S., Max recently landed the streaming rights to the anime master’s semi-autobiographical fantasy film to become the exclusive streaming home for the films of Studio Ghibli.

GKIDS, which handles North American distribution for Studio Ghibli, and Max signed a multiyear extension of their deal to keep the studio’s library on the Warner Bros. Discovery platform. To secure its own worldwide deal, Netflix extended its pact with Goodfellas and GKIDS to release Studio Ghibli films outside the U.S. and Japan.

Netflix will set a premiere date for The Boy and the Heron — a whimsical animated film that draws on Miyazaki’s childhood memories and recently earned the 2024 Oscar for best animated feature — later this year. Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years is a hand-drawn, original story written and directed by the director. 

The Boy and the Heron earned over $85 million in box office in Japan, opened the Toronto Film Festival with a world premiere and then topped the North American box office chart on its opening weekend with a record-breaking $12.8 million in theatrical ticket receipts.

Netflix also picked up other Studio Ghibli titles like Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (which earlier earned the Oscar for best animated feature in 2003), Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. Netflix will stream those titles in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, with subtitles in 28 languages and dubbed in up to 20 languages.