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Hayao Miyazaki’s magical creations returns to North America at the Studio Ghibli Fest 2023. Starting in March 2023, this year's film festival is a first-ever nationwide retrospective of 10 major films produced by Studio Ghibli, making it bigger and better than ever. Studio Ghibli Fest 2023's fantastical showcase is set to have more screenings of each film than ever. Additionally, each film will have an exclusive excerpt from the 4-part documentary series 10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki, which explores the notable filmmaker's work. From the first film, Castle in the Sky of 1986, to his latest, The Wind Rises of 2013, the film festival makes for a complete retrospection of some of Miyazaki’s best works and the studio’s iconic films.
There’s also a new addition to the festival roster this year. For the first time at the Studio Ghibli Fest, there is a screening of the production of Spirited Away: Live on Stage that ran in Japan in 2022. The play is based on the original film, Spirited Away, written and directed by Miyazaki and released in 2001. For all fans of Studio Ghibli movies, this fest brings the best opportunity to catch all your favorite films right away and celebrate Miyazaki’s artistic brilliance. If you haven’t yet caught any of these masterpieces, go through our quick guide below and find out how, when, and where to watch Studio Ghibli Fest 2023.
What is the Studio Ghibli Fest?
Studio Ghibli is a highly acclaimed Japanese animation studio founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata in 1985. For over 35 years, the studio has created breathtaking, brilliant animated films that have captivated and inspired fans and audiences for generations. To make each of these loved, admired, and award-winning animated films accessible to the audience in North America, Fathom Events and GKIDS started the Studio Ghibli Fest in 2017. Since then, it is turned into a significant annual event showcasing the magical work of Miyazaki in each of his films and giving the audience to experience the Japanese artist’s brilliance.
Watch the Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 Trailer
Studio Ghibli released a minute-long announcement trailer for the event, including some of the best scenes and selected footage from each of the 10 films, set in the background of the studio’s signature theme music. The dreamy and aspirational moments are too few to capture the exquisiteness of the individual films; hence each of these is a must-watch.
When is Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 Happening?
Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 kicked off on March 25, 2023, and will continue for nine months through November 1, 2023. Different films will be released across the nine months. The full schedule is below, so you don't miss your favorites.
Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 Events Calendar
Even if it has been a couple of months since the festival started, you can still enjoy some of these classic anime films yet to be screened. The event starts with screenings of My Neighbor Totoro on March 25, 2023, and ends with Spirited Away on November 1, 2023. Each film is screened in Japanese with English subtitles as well as in English dubbed versions. Spirited Away: Live on Stage has two screenings with two different actors playing the character of Chihiro.
Check out the Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 calendar below –
My Neighbor Totoro
March 25, 3 PM and March 27, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
March 26, 4 PM and 7 PM, March 27, 7 PM, and March 29, 7 PM – English dubbed
Spirited Away: Live on Stage
April 23, 4 PM (with Kanna Hashimoto as Chihiro) – Japanese with English subtitles
April 27, 7 PM (with Mone Kamishiraishi as Chihiro) – Japanese with English subtitles
Ponyo
May 7, 4 PM and 7 PM – English dubbed
May 8, 7 PM and May 10, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
Kiki’s Delivery Service
June 11, 4 PM and 7 PM – English Dubbed
June 12, 7 PM and June 14, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
July 9, 4 PM – English dubbed
July 11, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
Castle in the Sky
July 10, 7 PM – English dubbed
July 12, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
Princess Mononoke
August 5, 3 PM and August 8, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
August 6, 4 PM, 7 PM; August 7, 7 PM; August 9, 7 PM – English dubbed
Porco Rosso
August 20, 4 PM – English dubbed
August 22, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
The Wind Rises
August 21, 7 PM – English dubbed
August 23, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
Howl’s Moving Castle
September 23, 3 PM; September 24, 4 PM and 7 PM; September 26, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
September 25, 7 PM and September 27, 7 PM – English dubbed
Spirited Away
October 28, 3 PM and October 31, 7 PM – Japanese with English subtitles
October 29, 4 PM and 7 PM; October 30, 7 PM; November 1, 7 PM – English dubbed
Studio Ghibli Fest Tickets
GKIDS, the distributor for Studio Ghibli films in North America, among other Academy Award-nominated animation films, brings you the Studio Ghibli Fest 2023, in partnership with Fathom Events. You can check Fathom Event’s website for tickets, showtimes at your local theater.
Best Studio Ghibli Movies to Watch At the Fest or on Streaming
Studio Ghibli movies, also known as Ghibli movies, capture some of the best works of Hayao Miyazaki. Through each film, the master animator and storyteller gives his fan an in-depth but lateral look into the simplicity of life, presented through fantastic animation and enriching visuals. From discovering joy and magic in nature to family relationships, love, friendship, and finding yourself, Studio Ghibli films explore significant themes through simple storylines. Whether you get to watch these films at the Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 or not, these are some of the highly acclaimed movies from the legendary studio that ought to be on your watchlist, especially if stories of a faraway land are what you seek. Fortunately, all of these animated films are available for streaming on Max.
My Neighbor Totoro
Released in 1988, My Neighbor Totoro remains one of the biggest films from the studio, with a major cult following across the world. Set in post-war rural Japan, the story follows two sisters, Satsuki and Mei who move with their professor father, to their country house to be closer to their mother who is hospitalized. As they get acquainted with the new place, people, and lifestyle, they befriend the magical forest spirit Totoro. My Neighbor Totoro was both a huge commercial and critical success and was highly appreciated for the art, themes of environmentalism, Shinto symbolisms, and joys of rural life. The film earned high critical acclaim for its narrative, calling it "a heartwarming, sentimental masterpiece that captures the simple grace of childhood” and won several awards in Japan, including a special award at the prestigious Blue Ribbon Awards. The film and its characters are also significant cultural icons in Japan and worldwide and have been referenced in other Ghibli films, video games, and more. Totoro is also the mascot/logo of Studio Ghibli and is a major animation character in Japan.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Premiered at the 61st Venice Film Festival, this 2004 fantasy film is loosely based on the eponymous 1986 novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Howl’s Moving Castle is set in a fictional kingdom, where ancient magic and 20th-century technology run parallel with a touch of cyberpunk. In that kingdom at war, Sophie a young woman and daughter of a milliner, works at her father’s shop and lives an unassuming life, until one day she befriends Howl, a mysterious man who lives in a flying castle. But an evil witch hexes their relationship and curses Sophie to turn into an old woman. Howl tries to use his magical powers to battle the witch and return Sophie to her youth, while also fighting in the resistance for the kingdom, and Sophie joins him on his adventures. The film features Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura as the lead Japanese voice cast while Jean Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Josh Hutcherson, and Billy Crystal voice the English dubbing. On its release, Howl’s Moving Castle earned critical acclaim, including nominations at the 78th Academy Awards and Saturn Awards, and won several other awards for animation, direction, voice, and music.
Spirited Away
This 2001 film is perhaps by far the most loved Ghibli movie and is considered to be one of the best films of the 21st century and one of the greatest animated films ever made. The film’s rich visuals, endearing characters, and simple setting make Spirited Away a fan favorite. The story follows a 10-year-old girl, Chihiro who is moving to a new neighborhood with her parents and is quite unhappy about it. As a pit stop, they take a break at an abandoned park which instantly attracts her. As Chihiro explores, she enters the spirit world of the Kami (Shinto spirits) and encounters supernatural and magical beings, along with discovering that her parents have turned into pigs. Caught in a strange, magical world, Chihiro must do what it takes to free herself and her parents from the curse and return to the real world. The film explores folklore and symbolisms of Shinto-Buddhism, plant and animal spirits, and spiritualism. On its release, Spirited Away was critically acclaimed for its art and narrative, with many describing it as “a dazzling, enchanting, and gorgeously drawn fairy tale.” The film also won Best Animated Feature at the 75th Annual Academy Awards and the National Board of Review, among several other awards.