Disney's deal with
Studio Ghibli gives them first dibs on any of the films released by the legendary Japanese studio. More recently though, it's seemed they have decided that only film directed by
Hayao Miyazaki are worth their time. This has allowed
GKIDS- the independent distributor that specialises in foreign animation- to step in. Following
From Up On Poppy Hill and last year's release of
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, GKIDS now has inked a deal to release yet another Ghibli flick.
When Marnie Was There is the studio's most recent (and
potentially last) film, and was originally released in Japan last summer. Late last year, Australia's
Madman Entertainment became the first English-language company to announce the films acquisition, prompting speculation who would be releasing it in North America.
GKIDS will release the film in "Spring 2015", with a more specific date yet to be announced. Based on GKIDS previous release patterns, we can expect the film to be released in both subtitled and English language versions- although this has not been officially confirmed. We can also assume that
StudioCanal will eventually handle the film's release in the UK and Ireland, but this too has yet to be announced.
When Marnie Was There is directed by
Arriety's Hiromasa Yonebayashi, based on an English novel by
Joan G Robinson. The story follows the friendship between a young girl named Anna and the mysterious, eponymous Marnie.
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source]
