Studio Ghibli Finally Lands on Netflix Canada

Ever since the emergence of streaming services I have always wanted the vast Studio Ghibli catalogue to find its way to one of them. I didn't exactly care which. I have seen most of them but I wanted to be able to more easily recommend them to friends and family. 

As blasphemous as this may sound to some, I enjoy Studio Ghibli films more than I do Disney and Pixar films (although it is close).

I have always enjoyed the female leads in the Ghibli universe and more specifically Hayao Miyazaki's films because they are more complex and less stereotypical than their Disney counterparts. Disney Princesses are precisely that, princesses. They have certainly evolved over the years but historically revolve mostly around romance, using their feminine wiles, and the man of their dreams. Miyazaki's heroines kick ass all their own and in a lot of different ways, but I digress. 

For further reading, there are a couple of great articles from Wired and The Atlantic touching on the subject.

Ghibli has always been very tight with the streaming rights, not releasing their films anywhere until this year.

Netflix announced that 21 Ghibli films would make their way to the platform starting Feb 1, 2020 and rolling out in stages over the next two months. Unfortunately, this excluded the US, Canada, and Japan. 

HBO Max brought the films to the US on May 27.

Finally Netflix Canada released 20 films today, June 25 with The Wind Rises (2013) coming on August 1. 

Alas, no luck for Japan of all places, who still have no streaming services with rights to the films.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is the only Ghibli feature film absent from any of the above streaming deals. It is however available on Hulu in the US.

I definitely recommend starting with films directed by Miyazaki as they what the studio is best known for.

Here are the films available on Netflix (those directed by Miyazaki in red):

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - prior to the official formation of Studio Ghibli
• Castle in the Sky (1986)
• My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
• Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) 
• Only Yesterday (1991)
• Porco Rosso (1992)
• Ocean Waves (1993) 
• Pom Poko (1994)
• Whisper of the Heart (1995)
• Princess Mononoke (1997)
• My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• The Cat Returns (2002) 
• Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
• Tales from Earthsea (2006) 
• Ponyo (2008)
• Arrietty (2010)
• From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
• The Wind Rises (2013) - Will be available August 1 
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
• When Marnie was There (2014)