Studio Ghibli is under new operational leadership with Kenichi Yoda set to become president in June 2026, while the studio continues to license its catalog for streaming, theatrical re-releases, and a kabuki adaptation, and has received its first Princess of Asturias Award.
Studio Ghibli is entering a new phase of operational control by Nippon Television. In May 2026, the studio announced that president Hiroyuki Fukuda will step down after the June 22 shareholders' meeting and be replaced by Kenichi Yoda, a Nippon Television executive who has handled event businesses and served as the studio's main contact within the company. Fukuda will remain a director. Yoda joined the board in October 2023 and has been Nippon Television's point person for Ghibli. The change formalizes a closer day-to-day partnership between the broadcaster and the studio.
The studio's catalog continues to generate activity across multiple platforms. GKIDS is bringing Ghibli films to North American IMAX theaters, with 'Whisper of the Heart' and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' each getting one-day-only screenings in April and May 2026, newly remastered in 4K. Atsushi Okui, the cinematographer behind most Ghibli films since 1993, explained that the 4K remaster of 'Whisper of the Heart' aimed to recreate the original film color, not to make the cel art as vivid as possible. In Japan, 'Grave of the Fireflies' will begin its second domestic streaming run on Netflix Japan on July 15, 2026, paired with educational initiatives including an essay workshop and a note campaign. The film first streamed on Netflix in Japan in 2025, becoming the first Ghibli film to do so. A special broadcast of 'Whisper of the Heart' on NTV earned a 7.5% household rating in the Kanto region for the week of April 27 to May 3.
Ghibli is also expanding into new cultural territory. The Super Kabuki stage adaptation of 'Princess Mononoke' runs from July 3 to August 23 at Tokyo's Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre, starring Danko Ichikawa V as Ashitaka, Kazutaro Nakamura as San, and Tokizo Nakamura VI as Eboshi Gozen. The production marks the first time a Ghibli film has been adapted into kabuki. The studio has donated over 120 items from 'Ponyo' to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, the first time Ghibli has donated original production materials to any institution. The museum's exhibition 'Studio Ghibli's Ponyo' runs through January 10, 2027. In a major institutional honor, the studio was awarded the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, becoming the first anime studio to win Spain's top cultural prize. The jury praised the studio's hand-drawn craft, environmental themes, and complex female protagonists.
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Scarlet Moon Records announced Prescription for Sleep: The Best of Studio Ghibli, the 17th album in the jazz tribute series. Performed by duo GENTLE LOVE-Norihiko Hibino and AYAKI-the album features 12 tracks from Ghibli films plus an original. It releases July 20 digitally on multiple platforms.
Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' will be exclusively streamed on Netflix Japan from July 15, 2026. The film previously streamed on the platform in September 2025 and ended in November of that year, prompting surprised reactions. The new streaming period is expected to last a few months.
Studio Ghibli's 1988 animated film "Grave of the Fireflies" will begin its second domestic streaming run on Netflix Japan on July 15, 2026. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on Akiyuki Nosaka's novel, the film follows 14-year-old Seita and his 4-year-old sister Setsuko as they struggle to survive after losing their mother in an air raid during World War II. Netflix first streamed the film in over 190 countries and regions (excluding Japan) starting September 16, 2024, where it ranked 7th in the Netflix Weekly Global Top 10 (Non-English Films) in its first week. In 2025, it became the first Studio Ghibli film to stream on Netflix in Japan, with subtitles in 33 languages and dubbing in 10 languages. The audio description features Japanese narration by Shota Yasuda (SUPER EIGHT) and English narration by Patrick Harlan (Pakkun Makkun). Alongside the re-release, Netflix is launching the "#NetflixEssay" project, which includes a children's essay workshop for 5th and 6th graders on July 11 and a note campaign from July 15 to August 31. Netflix is also supporting free school screenings at junior high schools across Japan by providing free viewing codes to schools that obtain permission from Shinchosha.
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 released a new commercial for Ghibli Park on December 16, 2025. The ad, titled "Ghibli Park: The Ghibli Stories Live On in This Place," features narration by Takuya Kimura, who voiced the character Howl in "Howl's Moving Castle." The commercial shows the park's buildings and exhibits, ending with a flying kayak returning to Howl's Castle in the Valley of Witches area. Ghibli Park operates on a reservation system for tickets.
Studio Ghibli announced on December 12 that the first two broadcasts of Nippon Television's Friday Road Show in 2026 will be Ghibli films. On January 2, the slot airs Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" uncut from 21:00 to 23:39. The following week, January 9, the same time slot features Isao Takahata's "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" uncut from 21:00 to 23:54. The announcement, posted on the official Ghibli website, lists the full voice cast for both films: "Spirited Away" stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, and Bunta Sugawara; "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" features Aki Asakura, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, and Shinosuke Tatekawa. Joe Hisaishi composed the music for both films. The broadcasts are part of the regular Friday night movie programming block.
GKIDS announced that two Studio Ghibli films, 'Whisper of the Heart' (1995) and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' (2010), will screen in North American IMAX theaters this spring. Each film will have a one-day-only event: 'Whisper of the Heart' on April 21 and 'The Secret World of Arrietty' on May 19. Both are newly remastered in 4K and will be presented in IMAX for the first time. Showings will be available in Japanese with subtitles and English-dubbed versions. The screenings continue GKIDS' partnership with IMAX, which last month brought 'Kiki's Delivery Service' to the format. 'Whisper of the Heart,' directed by Yoshifumi Kondo from a script by Hayao Miyazaki, follows a middle schooler pursuing a writing career in suburban Tokyo. 'The Secret World of Arrietty,' directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and adapted from Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers,' follows a tiny family living under a human home. Miyazaki contributed to the screenplay and planning for 'Arrietty.'
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.
Studio Ghibli announced that Hiroyuki Fukuda will step down as president on June 22, 2026, and be replaced by Kenichi Yoda, a Nippon Television executive who has handled event businesses and served as the studio's main contact within the company. Fukuda remains a director.
Studio Ghibli has been awarded the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, becoming the first anime studio to win Spain's top cultural prize. The jury praised the studio's hand-drawn craft, environmental themes, and complex female protagonists. The award will be presented in October.
Cartoon Brew interviewed Atsushi Okui, the cinematographer behind most Studio Ghibli films since 1993, about the 4K remaster of 'Whisper of the Heart' and the theatrical re-release of 'The Secret World of Arrietty.' Okui explained that the remaster aimed to recreate the original film color, not to make the cel art as vivid as possible.
Video Research published the Japanese animation television rankings for the week of April 27 to May 3, based on household ratings in the Kanto region. The top spot went to "Sazae-san" on Fuji TV with a 5.9% rating on May 3. "Detective Conan" on NTV took second place at 5.1%, followed by "Chibi Maruko-chan" on Fuji TV at 4.4%. A special broadcast of Yoshifumi Kondo and Studio Ghibli's "Whisper of the Heart" aired on NTV on May 1 at 9:00 p.m. and earned a 7.5% rating, though it was not listed among the regular weekly rankings. "My Hero Academia: More special" ranked fourth among regular programs with a 2.7% rating on NTV. The live-action "Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional" film aired on NHK on May 3 and received a 2.1% rating. The ratings are estimates based on a household survey and do not include recordings viewed later.
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.
Studio Ghibli announced that president Hiroyuki Fukuda will step down after the June 22 shareholders' meeting. The studio plans to appoint current board director Kenichi Yoda as his successor. Fukuda will remain on the board. Yoda, who joined the board in October 2023, has been Nippon Television's point person for Ghibli and handles event management at NTV.
The Princess of Asturias Foundation named Studio Ghibli the 2026 recipient of its Communication and Humanities prize on Wednesday. The award, often described as Spain's equivalent of a Nobel, carries a Joan Miro sculpture, a diploma, and 50,000 euros. A jury statement said the Tokyo studio transformed creativity into knowledge and communication, citing its hand-drawn craft, environmental themes, and complex female protagonists as a cultural bridge across generations. The ceremony is set for October in Oviedo, with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presiding. Ghibli is the first anime studio and the first pure animation recipient in the category's history. The honor follows the studio's 2024 honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes. Past winners include Margaret Atwood, Martin Scorsese, and Meryl Streep. Cartoonists Marjane Satrapi and Quino won earlier editions. The foundation's announcement did not specify which films the jury discussed, though the citation mentioned values of empathy, respect, friendship, and love of nature.