The distributor gains North American rights for the Oscar-nominated director’s entire catalog including ‘Belle,’ ‘Mirai,’ ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time,’ and ‘Wolf Children;’ new theatrical and home entertainment releases will highlight Hosoda’s unique artistry.
GKIDS has acquired North American distribution rights to award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda’s entire film catalog, including critically acclaimed animated feature films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Wolf Children. GKIDS previously released the Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated Mirai (2018) and the critically lauded Belle (2021), which became Hosoda’s highest-grossing film to date in North America. Both films had their respective world premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
Hosoda’s six features all received nominations for the Japan Academy Prize for “Animation of the Year,” with five receiving the award. Hosoda remains the only Japanese animation director outside of the famed Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. Studio Chizu’s catalog is represented internationally by Charades, and the deal was negotiated between Eric Beckman at GKIDS and Yohann Comte and Carole Baraton at Charades on behalf of Studio Chizu.
Summer Wars and Wolf Children will enter GKIDS’ catalog immediately, while The Boy and the Beast and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time will enter the catalog next year. With this deal, GKIDS is committed to expanding the reach and furthering the brand of Studio Chizu and director Hosoda by bringing these titles to North American audiences. The films will receive new theatrical and home entertainment releases highlighting Hosoda’s unique artistry, with further details forthcoming.
“One of GKIDS’ earliest distribution projects was the theatrical release of Summer Wars when Mamoru Hosoda had already cemented his position as one of the most exciting animation directors,” said GKIDS’ president, David Jesteadt. “We were honored to deepen our relationship with the release of his two latest films, Mirai and Belle, and are excited to now be able to showcase the full breadth of Hosoda’s ambitious storytelling across his film catalog, featuring some of the most acclaimed and successful Japanese animated films of all time.”
Source: GKIDS
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
