2020 did not start in the best way. In every city of every country thousands and thousands of people are locked up in the house waiting for this pandemic to release its grip and we can go back to life as usual. Netflix has managed to make a gift to these people (and myself included). Since February 1st, Netflix has released 21 Studio Ghibli movies so far.

Who can watch Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix?

Fans from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America can enjoy 21 extraordinary Japanese animation titles. Unfortunately, due to commercial agreements with other companies, the following countries will not be able to access this content: the United States, Canada and Japan.

I live in America / Canada, how can I see Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix?

Although Netflix hasn’t released these 21 titles in your country, there is a way to access them. This solution calls VPN.

What is a VPN?

VPN means “virtual private network”, a service that encrypts your internet traffic and protects your online identity. With a VPN your private information is safe since all your datas will travel through an encrypted tunnel.

And what does this have to do with the Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix?

When you connect to the internet, your IP identifies the country in which you are located: this means that any restriction valid for that country is also applied to you. A VPN will change your IP address, giving the impression that you are physically in another place. This change of IP helps you access restricted websites, as well as keeps your private information safe.

Therefore, by using a VPN you can connect to a server located in the UK and automatically see all the content that Netflix offers for this country: including the 21 titles of the Ghibli studio.

Which VPN should you choose?

The choices are almost unlimited. The one I personally use is called SurfShark: reliable and, above all, cheap. It is compatible with Netflix and can be used on an unlimited number of devices (also mobile). Highly recommended.

Dubbed and subtitled films

The movies are available in the original language and in English. For the occasion the movies were dubbed in 20 languages and subtitled in 28. As a huge fan of Japanese culture I strongly recommend everyone to watch these movies with the subtitles in the original language: Japanese dubbing is inimitable.

Studio Ghibli titles available on Netflix

Let’s see which films of Studio Ghibli Netflix has managed to bring to our homes:

February 1, 2020:

Castle in the Sky (1986),

My Neighbor Totoro (1988),

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989),

Only Yesterday (1991),

Porco Rosso (1992),

Ocean Waves (1993),

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

March 1, 2020:

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984),

Princess Mononoke (1997),

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999),

Spirited Away (2001),

The Cat Returns (2002),

Arrietty (2010),

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

April 1, 2020:

Pom Poko (1994),

Whisper of the Heart (1995),

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004),

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008),

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011),

The Wind Rises (2013),

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Streaming, the key to global success

Choosing the best channel and the right partner are not always an easy choice. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki explained the reason behind their decision to go streaming:

“In this day and age, there are various great ways a film can reach audiences. We’ve listened to our fans and have made the definitive decision to stream our film catalogue. We hope people around the world will discover the world of Studio Ghibli through this experience”

Vincent Maraval, Chief Executive Officer of Wild Bunch, instead motivated the choice of the partner:

“In finding the best digital partner for Studio Ghibli, our most valuable and faithful collaborators for 20 years, the Netflix team convinced us with their consistent love and energy for finding the best ways to promote the incredible and unique catalogue worldwide with respect to the Studio Ghibli philosophy”.

The enthusiasm at Netflix is no less, as we can notice from the statement left by Netflix’s Director of Original Animation, Aram Yacoubian:

“This is a dream come true for Netflix and millions of our members. Studio Ghibli’s animated films are legendary and have enthralled fans around the world for over 35 years. We’re excited to make them available in more languages across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia – so that more people can enjoy this whimsical and wonderful world of animation.”

We just have to get comfortable, prepare popcorn or a nice hot chocolate, turn on Netflix and enjoy a beautiful movie by Studio Ghibli.