Netlflix has secured the global streaming rights for Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar winning movie, The Boy And The Heron, as a part of renewed deal with Goodfellas and GKIDS to release Studio Ghibli films on the platform. This agreement excludes the United States and Japan regions.

The premiere date for the film will be announced later this year.

In addition to The Boy And The Heron, the deal ensures continued access to 22 other Studio Ghibli classics, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya.

While Netflix has acquired the streaming rights for The Boy And The Heron outside the U.S. and Japan, viewers in the U.S. can still look forward to enjoying the film as HBO Max recently secured the streaming rights for the region.

The Boy And The Heron (called How Do You Live), released in Japan on July 14, 2023. It became the first ever Studio Ghibli film to get simultaneous IMAX release. It also became the first-ever animated film as well as Japanese film to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

The Boy And The Heron also won the Oscar Award for the Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, which was held on March 10, 2024.

Joe Hisashi composed music for the anime film. The film features 37 soundtracks including the theme song. Kenshi Yonezu performed the film’s theme song, “Chikyuugi”.

The plot of the film is described as:

The plot of the film is set during World War II. Mahito Maki, the protagonist, is a young boy who tragically lost his mother in a hospital fire. When his father remarries, they move from Tokyo to a countryside mansion. This mansion happens to be his mother’s ancestral home, and his father’s new wife is his mother’s sister. With complex emotions, Masato is guided by a mysterious gray heron and finds himself stepping into a different world.

How Do You Live? is inspired by the 1937 novel of the same name by Yoshino Genzaburo. He added that this book is a story that has great meaning to the protagonist of his film.

Source: Netflix