Hayao Miyazaki's work remains central to Studio Ghibli's ongoing theatrical and archival activity, including a first IMAX release for Kiki's Delivery Service in the UK and Ireland, a major museum donation of Ponyo materials, and a kabuki adaptation of Princess Mononoke.
Hayao Miyazaki's films continue to drive Studio Ghibli's present-day releases and cultural projects. Kiki's Delivery Service, his 1989 film, will screen in IMAX theaters across the UK and Ireland starting August 21, 2026, the first time the film has played on IMAX in those territories. The release follows a new 4K remaster, with a wider theatrical rollout on August 28. This is the first UK cinema outing for GKIDS after the distributor acquired the rights to the 23-film Studio Ghibli library in July 2026, working with sister company Anime Limited.
Miyazaki's hand in the studio's legacy is also visible in preservation and adaptation. Studio Ghibli donated over 120 items from the 2008 film Ponyo to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, including key animation drawings drawn by Miyazaki himself and early concept artboards. The donation, the first of its kind from the studio, anchors the museum's new exhibition "Studio Ghibli's Ponyo," which runs through January 10, 2027. Separately, the Super Kabuki stage adaptation of Princess Mononoke, directed by Kensuke Yokouchi with a script co-written by Ghibli veteran Keiko Niwa, runs from July 3 to August 23 at Tokyo's Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre.
Miyazaki's preparatory work is also being collected in print. Iwanami Shoten released the sixth volume of the Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Complete Collection on June 4, covering Whisper of the Heart and On Your Mark, with 178 image boards and storyboards including unpublished drawings. The volume includes an interview with producer Toshio Suzuki. Volume 7, focused on Princess Mononoke, is due in December.
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Bloomberg reports that Studio Ghibli has no next feature in development more than two and a half years after The Boy and the Heron. New president and CEO Kenichi Yoda says the studio will not force a film without the right idea. Hayao Miyazaki, 85, still comes to work daily, though no one knows what he is working on.
GKIDS and Fathom Entertainment will screen Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky in U.S. theaters for five days in August, marking the film's 40th anniversary. The 1986 fantasy adventure follows Pazu and Sheeta as they search for the floating castle Laputa. Screenings include both Japanese and English-language versions, plus a post-film clip from the featurette 'The World of Laputa.' Tickets are on sale now.
Turbo Dog Games released Spiritstead, a relaxing village-building game set in a magical world where humans and spirits cooperate, on Steam on August 7, 2026. The game is available for 1,200 yen with a 10 percent launch discount. Players lead villagers, assign work, build houses, and construct facilities such as cafes, markets, campfires, and farms to increase happiness. Hidden spirits with unique appearances and abilities assist with caring for villagers, managing the village, and automating daily tasks. The goal is to restore the Sanctuary of the Great Spirit to bring balance between spirits and humans. Spiritstead includes two modes: Adventure Mode, a relaxed playthrough of about six to eight hours, and Creative Mode, which allows free-form village building without goals. The hand-drawn visuals and warm atmosphere draw influence from Hayao Miyazaki's films, as developer Diana stated the team grew up watching his works and wanted to capture that comforting feeling. The game supports Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and eight other languages, totaling twelve. Turbo Dog Games is an independent studio of four people based in Europe, founded in January 2025, and Spiritstead is its debut work.
Kiki's Delivery Service, the 1989 Studio Ghibli film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, will screen in IMAX theaters across the UK and Ireland starting August 21, 2026. The release is the first time the film has played on IMAX screens in those territories. Tickets are on sale now for both the original Japanese language with subtitles and the English dubbed version. The film has been newly remastered in 4K. A wider 4K theatrical release follows on August 28, 2026. The IMAX release is the first UK cinema outing for GKIDS after the distributor acquired the rights to the 23-film Studio Ghibli library earlier in July 2026. GKIDS is working with sister company Anime Limited, the Glasgow-based distributor recently acquired by GKIDS' parent company Toho Global. Additional Studio Ghibli titles slated for future IMAX releases in the UK and Ireland include Arrietty and Whisper of the Heart.
Toy Story 5 opened in Japan on July 3, 2026, following a record-breaking US debut that earned approximately $160 million in its opening weekend. The film's worldwide box office has surpassed $585 million, exceeding the final totals of Toy Story and Toy Story 2. The Japanese dub cast includes Alice Hirose as the new character Lily Pad, with comments from the actress and details on theater bonuses.
Iwanami Shoten released the sixth volume of the Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Complete Collection on June 4. The book collects 178 image boards and storyboards from Whisper of the Heart and On Your Mark, including unpublished drawings. It also features an interview with producer Toshio Suzuki. Volume 7, focused on Princess Mononoke, is due in December.
Studio Ghibli has donated over 120 items from the 2008 film "Ponyo" to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, including key animation drawings drawn by Hayao Miyazaki himself and artboards that served as early concept blueprints for the film. The donation, which also includes original Japanese release posters, came as a surprise to senior exhibitions curator Jessica Niebel, who had repeatedly asked Ghibli for materials over several years without a response. After the museum's 2017 Hayao Miyazaki retrospective closed, Niebel received an email from Studio Ghibli offering the items. The donation is now part of the museum's new exhibition "Studio Ghibli's Ponyo," which opened recently and runs through January 10, 2027. The exhibit is Niebel's first designed specifically for children, with interactive play spaces, viewing stations, and a movable woodcut of Ponyo that children can manipulate. Niebel also conducted new interviews with Ghibli artists for the exhibit, a rare opportunity since the studio's artists typically do not give interviews.
The Super Kabuki stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke has released a video ad showing the main cast in costume. The play stars Danko Ichikawa V as Ashitaka, Kazutaro Nakamura as San, and Tokizo Nakamura VI as Eboshi Gozen. It runs from July 3 to August 23 at Tokyo's Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre, directed by Kensuke Yokouchi with a script co-written by Ghibli veteran Keiko Niwa.