Netflix signs deal to stream Studio Ghibli movies

Fans of the magical world of revered Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli are about to get a wonderful gift for 2020.

21 of the studio's movies will be coming to Netflix, after the streaming platform signed an exclusive deal to show its films in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

It means that classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro will be hitting screens to stream in the UK from February 1.

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Producer Toshio Suzuki at Studio Ghibli said, “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.”

The movies will be released on Netflix over three months, with the first wave including 1988's Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service from 1989.

March 1 will see Oscar-winner Spirited Away from 2001, often named as one of the best animated movies of all time, and Oscar-nominated The Tale of The Princess Kaguya from 2013 among the second wave.

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Then a third wave arrives on April 1, including Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises and 2014's When Marnie Was There, the most recent movie from the studio.

Co-founded by director and writer Hayao Miyazaki in 1985, the studio halted production in 2014, after Miyazaki announced his retirement.

However, in 2017, Miyazaki announced he would be making another movie – How Do You Live? - though its release date remains a mystery.