Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron Is Coming to Netflix

The Boy and the Heron is taking back headlines this spring, and Studio Ghibli wouldn’t have it any other way. Not long ago, the Hayao Miyazaki movie earned praise the world over after it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Now, the movie is heading back to select theaters to celebrate, and Netflix is getting in on the fun with a streaming reveal.

As it turns out, Netflix has secured the global streaming rights for The Boy and the Heron. The service will be bringing The Boy and the Heron to its global catalog shortly, but there is a catch. The film will not be available in the United States or Japan.

After all, Studio Ghibli has its own distribution deals in Japan, and the United States has much the same. Max is the exclusive streaming home of Studio Ghibli’s catalog if you did not know. Not long ago, the streaming platform told fans its contract with Studio Ghibli had been renewed, and the deal would bring The Boy and the Heron to Max at an unknown date.

Of course, Studio Ghibli fans are simply happy to get digital access to the company’s catalog period. The studio isn’t shy about its love of all things analog. When it comes to technology, Studio Ghibli is slow to adapt, and that is an intentional choice. Studio Ghibli’s surviving co-founders Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki are admittedly slow to adopt new tech. But even so, the company struck a deal with Max (then HBO Max) to stream most Studio Ghibli movies stateside.

Now, The Boy and the Heron is the next movie slated to join the studio’s streaming roster. Max or Netflix will sent the film live online later this year. So if you are not very familiar with the Oscar-winning movie, you can read the official synopsis of The Boy and the Heron below:

“After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.”

What do you think about this Netflix update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!