‘Grave of the Fireflies’ by Studio Ghibli Gets Netflix Release Date

Netflix has secured the streaming rights to Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies, making the iconic animated film available from September 16 in over 190 countries, excluding Japan.

Grave of the Fireflies will join Netflix’s impressive collection of 22 Studio Ghibli films, already available worldwide excluding the U.S. and Japan.

The lineup of Ghibli titles on Netflix includes beloved classics like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Porco Rosso, among others.

Earlier this year, Netflix also added other popular Japanese animated films such as Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume and Takehiko Inoue’s The First Slam Dunk.

Based on Akiyuki Nosaka’s Naoki Prize-winning short story, Grave of the Fireflies is set in Kobe towards the end of World War Two and portrays the harrowing experiences of war orphan siblings facing the dire aftermath of conflict.

The film originally premiered in 1988 and was directed by the late Isao Takahata, a co-founder of Studio Ghibli.

During its initial Japanese theatrical release, Grave of the Fireflies was showcased alongside Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro as a double feature, marking a significant moment for Studio Ghibli.