Studio Ghibli films, regardless of how old they are, still get appreciated by fans worldwide for their timeless storytelling and gorgeous hand-drawn animation. Established in 1985, Studio Ghibli is one of the most iconic and respectable animation studios in Japan. From the first film under their banner, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, to the latest Academy Award winner, The Boy and the Heron, the studio has come a long way in four decades. In order to celebrate the studio’s legendary success, every year, GKIDS and Fathom Entertainment organize a Studio Ghibli Fest in North America that brings beloved Studio Ghibli films back to the theaters.
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This annual fest offers fans a chance to experience these animated classics on the big screen, often accompanied by special content and in both original Japanese and English-dubbed versions. Ghibli Fest was introduced in 2017, and this year is a lot special since they are celebrating the studio’s 40th anniversary. The official X account of GKIDS shares a lineup of eight films and their release schedule, along with a link to buy the tickets. Each film will be in the theatres for four days.
[RELATED: “Ghibli Would’ve Closed”: Disney Animator Reveals This Iconic Movie Almost Bankrupted Studio Ghibli]
Studio Ghibli Fest 2025 Lineup
The tickets are available on the official website of GKIDS, along with a lineup of the eight films for the fest.
- Kiki’s Delivery Service – May 17th to 21st
- The Secret World of Arrietty – June 22nd to 24th
- My Neighbor Totoro – July 19 to 23rd
- Grave of the Fireflies – August 10th to 12th
- Ponyo – August 23rd to 27th
- Howl’s Moving Castle – September 20th to 24th
- Spirited Away – October 18th to 24th
- The Boy and the Heron – November 15th to 19th
The fest will kick off with one of Hayao Miyazaki’s early works Kiki’s Delivery Service, a heartwarming tale about a young witch who ventures outside to live independently, unware of the challenges she will be facing. Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s The Secret World of Arrietty is one of Ghibli’s most underrated works, following a beautiful tale about tiny “borrowers” living secretly within human homes, focusing on the friendship between Arrietty and a human boy.
My Neighbor Totoro is another film by Hayao Miyazaki, following two sisters who move to the countryside and discover magical creatures, including the lovable forest spirit Totoro. Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies is still considered one of the saddest anime of all time as it follows two siblings who struggle to make ends meet during the Second World War. Hayao Miyazaki’s underrated film, Ponyo, is the second film scheduled for August, following a magical goldfish who wants to become human after befriending a boy.
The rest of the lineup, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and The Boy and the Heron, are all Academy Award winners, making them perfectly suitable to wrap up the fest. Howl’s Moving Castle follows a young woman cursed into old age who crosses paths with a mysterious wizard named Howl and his magical moving castle. Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away, is an epic tale about a young girl who must survive a spirit world after her parents are turned into pigs. Finally, The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s comeback film after ten years, following a boy grieving his mother’s death. After moving to the countryside in his mother’s old home, he discovers a strange heron who leads him to another world.
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