China Is Finally Bringing Studio Ghibli To Theaters

It is hard to imagine anyone having problems with Studio Ghibli, but stranger things have happened. To date, China has yet to bring any of the anime features to theaters, but that is about to change.

Not long ago, a piece by The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Studio Ghibli is about to make a Chinese debut. Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro will be the studio's first film to get a theatrical release in China.

"We've already sold the rights to My Neighbor Totoro to our Chinese partner SCLA, but there are various processes they have to go through to release it in China; it's in their hands now," a spokesperson for Studio Ghibli's foreign sales department said in a recent statement.

According to the report, My Neighbor Totoro is expected to hit theaters abroad towards the end of 2018. The film will be screened with a Chinese dub, and Studio Ghibli plans to bring more anime features to Chinese theaters if My Neighbor Totoro does well.

For international fans, this release is a pretty big deal. My Neighbor Totoro turned 30 years old this year as the fan-favorite film debut in 1988. The film will be screened for a limited-time in the U.S. to honor the milestone, so Studio Ghibli seems eager to celebrate one of its biggest films.

This may be the first Studio Ghibli film to get a theatrical release in China, but the company does have a long history with the country. Not long ago, an official exhibition for Studio Ghibli opened in Shanghai, and fans flocked to The World of Ghibli to check it out. The event opened earlier in July, and it sold all sorts of official merchandise. As it stands, The World of Ghibli will be open in Shanghai until early October, so fans abroad can take selfies with Totoro for a bit longer.

If you want to check out My Neighbor Totoro in theaters when it returns to the U.S., you can check out local screenings through Fathom Events here. The film's official synopsis can also be found below:

"Celebrate the 30th anniversary of My Neighbor Totoro, from the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family."

Are you happy to hear about this new Studio Ghibli audience? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!