Where to watch Studio Ghibli films from anywhere: stream on Netflix and HBO Max

Where to watch Studio Ghibli films ponyo
(Image credit: Studio Ghibli)

Streaming services haven't always let you watch Studio Ghibli movies and its weird and wonderful back catalog. But after years in the wilderness, HBO Max and Netflix agreed on deals allowing them to stream the company’s entire oeuvre, and that's still the case now. This collection of critically lauded, record-breaking hits from the Japanese anime powerhouse wasn't available to stream or download digitally in the West for years, so fans have plenty to catch up on now the catalog is out in full – particularly given you can watch all of Studio Ghibli's movies on Netflix.

Watch Studio Ghibli movies online

Netflix now has exclusive streaming rights for all territories except the US, Canada, and Japan. Meanwhile, HBO Max is the home for Studio Ghibli movies for the North American market. With these two services providing easy access to 20+ feature films, lesser-known fare like Pom Poko, and a TV movie called Ocean Waves, it gives them a competitive edge over rival platforms Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus – certainly, if you're an anime fan.

Co-founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli has left an indelible impression on the cinematic landscape. Its highly imaginative, morally complex and humanistic films have endeared themselves to audiences and critics alike across the globe. Princess Mononoke won Japan’s Best Picture award in 1997 and was the first animated film to do so. Four years later, Spirited Away received the Best Animated Feature at the Oscars while also knocking Titanic from the top spot of Japan’s highest-ever grossing film.

So, are you ready to soar with porcine pilot Porco Rosso or join Totoro and his forest-dwelling friends? Then we’ll break down for you where to watch Studio Ghibli content based on your location, and let you enjoy some of the finest anime cinema has to offer – including how to watch Earwig and The Witch online, which is the legendary outfit's latest release and still in theaters in many countries – and how to make sure you can watch Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix when you go abroad too.

Watch Studio Ghibli movies online in the US

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American audiences will find that one of the country's best overall streaming services, <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/hbo-max-price-free-trial-movies-the-snyder-cut-and-more-explained" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">HBO Max, has the studio’s streaming rights in hand, so you can yourself on all that Studio Ghibli gold for a price starting at $9.99 a month. That includes having the exclusive streaming release rights – as it does with many Hollywood blockbusters – to the legendary studio's latest, Earwig and The Witch.

Alternatively, some of the studio’s animated movies are available to purchase digitally on major platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. This includes Grave of the Fireflies, which isn’t available to stream on HBO Max but rather rival service <a href="https://www.techradar.com/deals/hulu-plans-prices-deals-subscription-packages-cost-sign-up" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"" data-link-merchant="techradar.com"">Hulu.

Watch Studio Ghibli movies in the rest of the world

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Should you live outside of Canada, Japan, and the US, <a href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/6361382/type/dlg/sid/hawk-custom-tracking/https://www.netflix.com/" data-link-merchant="netflix.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Netflix has you covered. It staggered the release of Ghibli's features, but the likes of Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and all the others are now ready to stream – there's <a href="#what-studio-ghibli-movies-can-you-watch-on-netflix" data-link-merchant="#what-studio-ghibli-movies-can-you-watch-on-netflix"" data-link-merchant="netflix.com"">a full list below.

Depending on your location, Basic monthly subscription costs for Netflix start at £4.99 (UK); €4.99 (Europe); R49 (South Africa); AED29 (United Arab Emirates); $9.99 (Australia); $11.99 (New Zealand).

As mentioned above, no platform currently has the rights to stream Grave of the Fireflies. However, you can purchase a digital copy of the movie from <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2Fgp%2Fvideo%2Fdetail%2FB00PLTPEH4%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" data-link-merchant="#what-studio-ghibli-movies-can-you-watch-on-netflix"" data-link-merchant="netflix.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Amazon Prime Video.

Where to watch Studio Ghibli films from outside your country

If you find yourself away from home for whatever reason, you don’t have to skip your audio-visual visits to the wonderful world of Ghibli.

Using one of the best VPNs will allow you to watch these anime masterpieces no matter where you are. This basic bit of software alters your IP address, giving you access to regional content that you’d usually be watching on your Totoro bedspread at home.

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<a href="http://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=704&url_id=21480&aff_id=3013&aff_click_id=hawk-custom-tracking&aff_sub2=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="go.nordvpn.net"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">NordVPN - get the world's favorite VPN We've put all the major VPNs through their paces and we rate NordVPN as the best for streaming Netflix as our top pick, thanks to its speed, ease of use, and strong security features. It's also compatible with just about any streaming device out there, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation, as well as Android and Apple mobiles.

What Studio Ghibli movies can you watch on Netflix?

Listed below are all of the Studio Ghibli movies that you can watch on Netflix:

  • Arrietty
  • Castle in the Sky
  • 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
  • Spirited Away
  • Tales from Earthsea
  • The Cat Returns
  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya
  • The Wind Rises
  • When Marnie Was There
  • Whisper of the Heart

Daniel Pateman

Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.