Twenty-one films from Japan’s premier animation studio, co-founded by animator Hayao Miyazaki, will be made available in batches between February and April, Netflix announced this week.

The films — which also include “Princess Mononoke”, “Arrietty” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” — will be on the service in most places worldwide, from the Asia-Pacific to Europe and Latin America.

But the productions, to be subtitled in 28 languages and dubbed in up to 20, will not be on Netflix in the United States, Canada or Japan.

“We’ve listened to our fans and have made the definitive decision to stream our film catalogue,” said Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki.

Aram Yacoubian, director of original animation at Netflix, described the news as a “dream come true for Netflix and millions of our members”.

Miyazaki is among the world’s most acclaimed animators, with huge followings in Japan and abroad, and “Spirited Away” won the Oscar for best animated feature in 2003.