With excellent timing, Max has announced that it'll be streaming the Oscar-winning The Boy and The Heron from Studio Ghibli in the US. That's because Max has just extended its multi-year streaming deal with the beloved Japanese studio, a deal that's been in place since 2020 when the service was still called HBO Max.
That means not only will the Oscar-winning movie be available to watch on one of the best streaming service's this year, but Max will continue to host its extensive catalog of Ghibli movies – a catalog that also includes the beautiful Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro. As Max's VP of content acquisitions Elizabeth Bannan Atcheson said in a statement: "Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add The Boy and the Heron to our deep and rich Max content offering."
The Boy and the Heron is the latest, and some fear the last, movie from the great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. It's a very beautiful movie, and it's also desperately sad in places. According to the LA Times, the final moment is "the simplest, loveliest, most quietly shattering thing". Empire magazine says it's "an astonishing, sumptuous animated fantasy featuring everything you love about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time". And RogerEbert.com says it's "a dream-like vision that reasserts Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s voice and international relevance. It’s gorgeous, ruminative, and mesmerizing, one of the best of 2023."
Which Studio Ghibli movies can you stream and where can you stream them?
If you're looking to stream Studio Ghibli movies, the streaming service you need depends on where you live: Max has the US streaming rights. But in the UK, the likes of Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo are on Netflix – the streamer is also the exclusive home for another Japanese animation studio, Studio Ponoc.
As per Variety, the list of Studio Ghibli films streaming on Max includes the following movies. The Boy and the Heron's streaming date will be announced soon.
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
- Castle in the Sky
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Kiki’s Delivery Service
- Only Yesterday
- Porco Rosso
- Ocean Waves
- Pom Poko
- Whisper of the Heart
- Princess Mononoke
- My Neighbors the Yamadas
- Spirited Away
- The Cat Returns
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Tales from Earthsea
- Ponyo
- The Secret World of Arrietty
- From Up on Poppy Hill
- The Wind Rises
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
- When Marnie Was There
- Earwig and the Witch
- The Boy and the Heron
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