Ever wanted to watch your favorite Studio Ghibli films on the big screen, where they were meant to be experienced? You can always watch the magical and heart-wrenching animated Ghibli classics on Max, but for the rest of 2024, you can also watch them in select theaters near you.
GKIDS, the animation distributor responsible for bringing international films like Lu Over the Wall, Lupin III: The First, and The Secret of Kells to the States, is once again hosting Studio Ghibli Fest, a yearlong movie marathon in partnership with Fathom Events. This means that Ghibli Fest is coming to most Regal and Cinemark theaters, among others.
At least once a month from April to December, select theaters will host both subtitled and dubbed showings of one of 14 classic Ghibli films from director Hayao Miyazaki.
Keep reading for the full Studio Ghibli Fest schedule.
April 27–May 1 | Spirited Away
Starting off 2024’s Ghibli slate is Spirited Away. If you’re unfamiliar, Spirited Away is about a young girl named Chihiro whose family accidentally enters a haunted amusement park. She gets separated from her parents and becomes trapped by the world of spirits.
May 19, 21 | Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä is super underrated, and this writer’s personal favorite Ghibli film. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where much of the planet has become inhospitable from ecological toxins. Princess Nausicaä must connect with the giant, dangerous creatures known as Ohms in order to bring peace to her world.
Also—and I’m just learning this now—the English dub features Mark Hamill, Shia LaBeouf, and Patrick Stewart.
May 20, 22 | Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky was Studio Ghibli’s first film, released in 1986, and is about two children in the late 19th century on the run from their government and a band of air pirates. They search for the titular floating castle in the sky in an effort to prevent a magical crystal from falling into the wrong hands.
Miyazaki loves including big magical castles and flying things in his films, but if you were curious, this doesn’t have anything to do with Howl’s Moving Castle.
July 13–17 | Princess Mononoke
In Princess Mononoke, a young prince named Ashitaka is cursed by a dying boar god. He travels looking for a cure until he finds San, a human girl raised by a wolf goddess. The film follows the resulting conflict between humans and nature spirits. In the English dub, Ashitaka and San are voiced by Billy Crudup (The Morning Show, Hello Tomorrow!) and Claire Danes (Stardust, Homeland).
August 3–10 | Ponyo
Ponyo is a Little Mermaid reimagining about a young fishy princess who wants to become a little girl. She befriends a human boy and discovers the wonders of the surface world, including some delicious ham and hot ramen noodles.
September 26–October 3 | Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle is this writer’s second-favorite Ghibli movie. Based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, it follows a hatmaker named Sophie who, after being cursed into the form of an old woman, becomes an enigmatic wizard’s live-in maid. It’s a sweetly romantic movie, and the movie’s theme song, “Merry-Go-Round of Life,” is iconic.
October 26–30 | Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki’s Delivery Service is about a young girl (named Kiki) in training to become a witch. She’s all ready with her broom and her talking cat Jiji, but she has to set off on her own before becoming a full witch. Her new delivery service seems to be going well until a moment of self-doubt knocks her powers out of whack.
December 7–11 | My Neighbor Totoro
Celebrate Totoro’s 35th anniversary with this classic family movie. It’s about two sisters, Satsuke and Mei, who discover and befriend spirits in the forest near their new home while their mother is in the hospital. In the English dub, Dakota and Elle Fanning voice the sisters.
Olivia Bono loves entertainment, and she’s never going to shut up about it. Here at CableTV.com, you’ll find her writing about the wild world of streaming. Her specialty is animation—you can find much of her work at our anime hub page. Olivia previously wrote for the Cornell Daily Sun, where in addition to television, she reviewed movies, albums, and video games. Outside of work, she loves to listen to audiobooks, make art, and spend time outdoors.
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