GKIDS and IMAX have announced a new partnership to screen more 4K restorations of Studio Ghibli anime films for North American theaters in 2026.
According to Deadline, the next Studio Ghibli film to be released for IMAX under the new agreement will be in “early next year,” with additional details to be announced later in the future.
Atsushi Okui, who oversaw the 4K restoration of Princess Mononoke earlier this year, will once again supervise the new IMAX versions of the 4K restorations. Okui served as Director of Digital Imaging and Photography for 2023’s The Boy and the Heron, which was the first Ghibli project to be screened in IMAX format.
GKIDS’ previous 4K restoration screening of Princess Mononoke was screened in North American IMAX theaters, starting on March 26, 2025, in commemoration of Studio Ghibli’s 40th anniversary. It was shown in both its original Japanese language with subtitles and in English dub.
GKIDS currently holds the North American distribution rights of Studio Ghibli’s films and has been screening select titles annually in theaters through Studio Ghibli Fest. Some of the films that were released as part of this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest include Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Secret World of Arrietty, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away, among others.
Sources: Deadline (Anthony D’Alessandro), Anime News Network
