Mamoru Hosoda’s Films Are Moving to GKIDS

GKIDS has become a major player in the anime game, routinely bringing some big anime projects to North American theaters and home video. Recently, the publisher helped to bring Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron to Western theaters, allowing American anime fans to see the movie from Hayao Miyazaki that would win “Best Animated Picture” at this year’s Academy Awards. To further cement their place in the anime world, GKIDS has announced that it has gained the North American distribution rights for many of director Mamoru Hosoda’s films.

If you’re unfamiliar with the name Mamoru Hosoda, the anime creator is responsible for some of the most beloved films on the medium this side of Studio Ghibli. In his career, Hosoda helped create Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Belle, The Boy And The Beast, and even films in the Digimon and One Piece franchises. For GKIDS, Hosoda’s Wolf Children and Summer Wars have been added to the publisher’s catalog, with The Boy And The Beast and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time arriving in 2025. For these acquisitions, GKIDS is planning both theatrical runs and new home video releases, and we’ll be sure to let you know when more details are announced. 

GKIDS x Mamoru Hosoda

The president of GKIDS, David Jesteadt, talked about the anime partnership in a new press release, “One of GKIDS’ earliest distribution projects was the theatrical release of Summer Wars, when Mamoru Hosoda had already cemented his position as one of the most exciting animation directors. We were honored to deepen our relationship with the release of his two latest films, Mirai and Belle, and are excited to now be able to showcase the full breadth of Hosoda’s ambitious storytelling across his film catalog, featuring some of the most acclaimed and successful Japanese animated films of all time.”

Recently, GKIDS made headlines bringing The End of Evangelion to North American theaters for the first time. With this latest news of the GKIDS acquisition, the publisher is continuing to expand its notoriety within the anime world.

What anime movies that have yet to make their way to North America do you want to see hit the West? What is your favorite movie from Mamoru Hosoda’s library? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Mamoru Hosoda.