Studio Ghibli brings films to Netflix and soundtracks to Spotify

Studio Ghibli has made its film catalog available on Netflix in 190 countries starting February 2020, and its soundtracks on Spotify, marking a major shift in distribution strategy. The move was announced by producer Toshio Suzuki, who revealed that the decision helps finance Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming film "Kimi-tachi wa do ikiru ka" (How Do You Live?). Despite Miyazaki's well-known skepticism toward digital technology and past reluctance to distribute abroad—stemming from the 1985 butchering of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" by New World Pictures—the partnership with Netflix follows a historical 1996 deal with Walt Disney for theatrical releases. On Spotify, 23 film scores and 14 Image Albums totaling 693 tracks are now available, including works by Joe Hisaishi, Yuji Nomi, Tamiya Terajima, and Satoshi Takebe, as well as the soundtrack for "The Red Turtle" (2017) by Michaël Dudok de Wit. The announcement coincided with Suzuki's presentation of a photography exhibition at HMV & Books in Shibuya, Tokyo, on March 7, 2020, showcasing the Ghibli Museum through the lens of Thai photographer Kanyada, whose book "Ghibli Museum Monogatari" captures the museum from a child's perspective.