HBO Max’s Studio Ghibli Collection Debuts 20 Miyazaki Movies to US Streaming

The Studio Ghibli collection of Miyazaki films is finally available to stream on HBO Max — and not a second too soon! While the anime films have been available to stream on Netflix outside of the U.S. since January, we’re finally getting the Ghibli treatment in the States. If you’ve been contemplating signing up for HBO Max, well, it’s worth it for this classic collection alone.

Studio Ghibli is an esteemed Japanese animation company, made famous by the likes Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, two of its best films. Most of the movies follow the distinguished style of director Hayao Miyazaki, who was one of the founders of the company — but a handful departs from the Miyazaki aesthetic. The most popular films float to the top of HBO Max’s Ghibli collection, but the lesser-known films are equally fantastic.

While most of the films follow young protagonists on some sort of hero’s journey, these works are definitely for adults, too. Check them out for masterful storytelling, luxurious countryside illustration, and of course, the beautiful animated food. Many of the films’ themes follow humans’ complex relationship with the environment around them, which suits our current pandemic situation. The films are some of the most beloved anime of all time. They’ve won an Academy Award, and they’ve got an entire film fest dedicated to them. Studio Ghibli has partnered with Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures. There’s even a Studio Ghibli museum in Japan.

And most of the collection wasn’t available on any streaming service: until HBO Max. Now, you can find all of these delightful classics all in one place. HBO Max has made a Studio Ghibli button displayed on the homepage, which is super handy for those of us on a long-awaited Ghibli binge. The shorts aren’t included, and the one classic that’s missing from the bunch is Grave of the Fireflies.

This collection is by far the largest available to stream in the U.S., made up of over 20 titles. What’s even better about this is HBO Max offers viewers to select if the film is dubbed in English, or spoken in the original language with subtitles. All the films will default to English dubs, but you can change by pressing the alternate language button next to the video.

HBO Max Studio Ghibli Movies Collection: Complete List

• Nausicaӓ of the Valley of the Wind (1984): This film was actually pre-Studio Ghibli, but it’s still considered one of the family. After an apocalyptic event destroys most of the world, Princess Nausicaӓ strives to bring back peace between humans and the earth.
• Castle in the Sky (1986): Two children explore a mystical floating city while being chased by pirates and foreign agents. They set out to find the legendary castle in the sky.
• My Neighbor Totoro (1988): Two young girls befriend a handful of forest spirits, including the iconic chubby Totoro. Totoro is a Studio Ghibli classic — an outline of the character is featured on every film’s title page.
• Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989): Kiki, a witch-in-training, moves to a seaside town for a mandatory year of independence. She begins a mail courier service with her talking cat, while she masters her witchcraft.
• Only Yesterday (1991): A career-focused woman begins having flashbacks to her younger self. She contemplates the structure of her life, and the dreams she once had as a younger girl.
• Porco Rosso (1992): Italian pig pilots are the stars of Porco Rosso. The protagonist pig is a freelance bounty hunter, who flies the skies in search of criminals: namely, the sky pirates.
• Ocean Waves (1993): A man narrates the tale of his life with one woman, who has become a recurring figure over time. This love story follows their changing relationship in one big flashback.
• Pom Poko (1994): After new shopping malls and housing developments overtake their land, a community of Raccoons decides to fight back. They transform into humans to wreak havoc on the invaders.
• Whisper of the Heart (1994): Bookworm Shizuku realizes that all of her library books have been taken out by the same person. She sets out to find him, her soul mate, the so-called Prince of Books.
• Princess Mononoke (1997): This period piece follows a cursed prince seeking a cure, who is aided by San. While San works to help him and protect the forest, antagonist Lady Eboshi works to destroy it.
• My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999): This film follows a family ensemble, the Yamadas, living in Tokyo. While they may just be any average family, there’s a blend of hilarity and tragedy in their story.
• Spirited Away (2001): After her life is entangled with a series of fantastical characters, young Chihiro must free her family. This critically acclaimed classic took home the Best Animated Feature award at the Academy Awards.
• The Cat Returns (2002): After she saves his life, a girl is rewarded by The Cat King. He invites her to live in the magical kingdom of cats, and even offers his son’s hand in marriage.
• Howl’s Moving Castle (2004): Young, beautiful Sophie is cursed with an old woman’s body, and must break the spell cast by an evil witch. She’s aided by Howl, a wizard with a castle that walks on two feet.
• Tales from Earthsea (2006): When dragons and humans begin meeting in the land of Earthsea, one wizard decides to investigate the curse on humanity. He pairs with an ensemble of characters, all aiming to restore the world’s imbalance.
• Ponyo (2008): A young boy encounters a water creature/human hybrid named Ponyo, and later discovers she is a goldfish princess with magical water powers. While she yearns to be a human being, her responsibilities pull her back to the water.
• The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): Arrietty is a tiny girl who begins to interact with regular-sized humans in this coming-of-age story. She borrows scraps from humans while protecting her family from the dangers of the world.
• From Up on Poppy Hill (2011): After World War II, Japan prepares for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Two students attempt to protect a school clubhouse from being demolished to build for the Games.
• The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013): This feature departs from Ghibli’s typical animation style, featuring exquisitely hand-drawn characters. A tiny girl grows to fruition from a bamboo stalk, and charms every human she meets in the world.
• The Wind Rises (2013): Although young Jiro is too nearsighted to ever fly a plane, he’s still aircraft-obsessed. The film follows Jiro’s life over the years, with flight and planes as the two constants in his life.
• When Marnie was There (2014): Anna meets the mysterious Marnie when she moves to the country to cope with an illness. Although Marnie seems to be just an imaginary friend, the pair share a remarkable bond.

Stream the Studio Ghibli collection on HBO Max