GKIDS Acquires Mamoru Hosoda Collection
There are very few directors of Japanese animation that have anywhere near the international fame and acclaim as Hayao Miyazaki. But if there is a list of those who come somewhat close then surely Mamoru Hosoda is on it. A five time winner of Animation Of The Year at the Japan Academy Prizes, he is also the first non-Studio Ghibli Japanese director to be nominated for Best Animated Film at the Oscars and The Golden Globes. GKIDS Film have announced that they have acquired the North American distribution rights to Hosoda's complete filmography (excluding his Digimon and One Piece movies).
GKIDS already distributes Hosoda's last two films Belle and Mirai. With the new deal they have picked up the rights to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children and The Boy And The Beast. These other films were previously distributed by Funimation in the US. Studio Chizu's films are represented by Charades internationally, 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 catalogue immediately, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Boy and The Beast will join next year. GKIDS plan to introduce the films of Studio Chizu and director Hosoda is new ways. They intend initially to give the films new theatrical and home entertainment releases., with more details to be revealed later.
"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 honoured 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 catalogue, featuring some of the most acclaimed and successful Japanese animated films of all time."
GKIDS have opened a page for the Hosoda collection, but it's not much more than a placeholder for now. Presumably it will be updated when more information about the releases is announced.
If you've never seen Hosoda's earlier films this is excellent news. You'll get a chance to see them, and if you're lucky on the big screen, which is something not a lot of people got the chance to do before. And with all the Hosoda films under one roof perhaps a big boxset release is on the cards? We'll be sure to update you when we know more!
