Almost everything on this site follows the same disappointing pattern. America gets the show, Britain does not. American release dates do not apply here. The good stuff is behind a service we cannot get.
Studio Ghibli is the exception, and it is a pleasant one. Here, Britain has the better deal.
The short answer: Netflix
If you are in the UK, open Netflix. Around 21 Ghibli films sit there, brought in through the distributor Wild Bunch International.
No extra subscription, no add-on, nothing to arrange. If you already pay for Netflix, which most British households do, you already have most of the Ghibli catalogue and quite possibly never noticed.
Why Americans have to work harder
Ghibli’s streaming rights were split by territory. HBO Max holds them in the United States. Netflix holds them internationally, which covers the UK along with Germany, France, Spain and much of Europe.
So an American who wants to watch Ghibli needs a specific subscription for it. A British viewer opens an app they already have.
This is the reverse of the usual arrangement, and it happens for the same reason everything else happens in streaming: rights are sold country by country to whoever bids. Our guide to why titles move between UK services explains the machinery, and the same territorial split is why the UK and US Netflix catalogues differ so much generally.
Ignore the VPN articles
Search for how to watch Ghibli on Netflix and a large share of the results will be published by VPN companies.
Those articles are written for Americans trying to reach the international library. They are not written for you. You are already in the territory with the films.
If you are in Britain and a VPN guide is telling you to route your connection through another country to watch Ghibli, it is selling you something you do not need to solve a problem you do not have.
The catalogue is not quite complete
Netflix carries the great majority of the filmography, not all of it. A small number of Ghibli titles sit outside the arrangement because they are distributed by different companies, so they were never part of the deal.
We are not going to name which, because the details on that vary between sources and we could not confirm it properly. What matters practically is this: if a specific Ghibli film is not in Netflix’s set, that is normal and it is not a fault.
For anything missing, rental is straightforward. Apple TV, Prime Video, Google TV and YouTube all sell and rent individual films, usually for a couple of pounds. Cheaper than any subscription and it works immediately.
And this could change
Worth saying, because these guides tend to be written as though the arrangement were permanent.
The Netflix set exists because of a licensing agreement, and licensing agreements end. Ghibli films have moved between services before and there is no reason to assume they will not again. Our guide to how long films stay on Netflix UK covers the usual lifespan of that kind of deal.
If you have been meaning to work through them, there is no urgency, but there is no guarantee either.
Where to start
Ghibli films share no continuity, so there is no correct order and no need to start at the beginning. Pick by mood instead.
- If you want the famous one, start with Spirited Away. It is the entry point for most people and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
- If you are watching with young children, My Neighbour Totoro is gentle, short and has almost no peril in it.
- If you want adventure, Castle in the Sky or Princess Mononoke, the second being considerably darker.
- If you want something quiet, Whisper of the Heart or Only Yesterday. These are the ones people tend to discover late and then rate highest.
- If you want to see what the fuss is about in ninety minutes, Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Subtitles or dubbing?
A question people agonise over more than they need to. The English dubs of the Ghibli films are unusually good, made with proper casts and real budgets rather than as an afterthought.
If you are watching with children, or watching while doing something else, the dub is a perfectly respectable choice and no one serious will think less of you. If you want the original performances, the subtitles are there. Netflix carries both, and switching takes seconds, as our guide to changing Netflix subtitles and audio explains.
If you want to own them
Given that streaming rights expire, the Blu-ray releases are worth knowing about for anyone who rewatches these films regularly. Buying a boxset for something you return to every couple of years can work out better than hoping it stays on a service.
The same reasoning applies across streaming, and our comparison of free versus paid streaming goes through when ownership beats subscription.
Common questions
Are Studio Ghibli films on Netflix UK?
Yes. Around 21 of them, through a deal with distributor Wild Bunch International. Netflix holds the international rights outside the United States.
Why can’t Americans watch them on Netflix?
Because the US rights went to HBO Max instead. The films are split by territory.
Do I need a VPN?
No. If you are in the UK you are already in the territory Netflix holds the rights for.
Why is one film missing?
A small number sit outside the Netflix arrangement because different companies distribute them. Rental is the simplest route for those.
What order should I watch them in?
Any. The films are unconnected, so pick by mood rather than release date.
The short version
Open Netflix. Most of the catalogue is there, you are already paying for it, and for once the American viewer is the one who has to go looking.
For more on where Korean and Japanese work sits across British services, see our guide to K-drama and anime in the UK.
