Eric Beckman founded this New York distributor in 2008 to bring international animation to North America, and Toho completed its purchase of the company in 2025. GKIDS has held the Studio Ghibli library in the US and Canada since 2011 (home video from 2017) and also carries Evangelion, Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Oshii titles. Its DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K discs are manufactured and distributed by Shout! Factory.
GKIDS
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent3
- Solid4
- Worse Than BD1
How we pick the best GKIDS releases
10 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Best Video, Audio & English-Friendly:
US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. 4K Blu-ray for both the original Japanese and the Amazon English dub
Additional Info:
US GKIDS/UK Anime, Ltd. 4K Blu-ray has higher bitrate and better encoding than the Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray. Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray on the box set has inferior encoding, but includes the theatrical (:3.0+1.0) and streaming (:3.0+1.01) cuts on standard Blu-ray as bonuses.
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Best English-Friendly:
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM
Best Video:
US GKIDS/Australia Umbrella 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM
Video Notes:
US GKIDS/Australia Umbrella 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM with identical encodes
UHD vs BD comparisons
Best Audio:
4K restoration includes a high-fidelity Dolby Atmos remix sourced from new transfers of original magnetic elements, with inconsequential content differences from the original mono mix. Umbrella 4K Blu-ray only includes a 5.1 mixdown of the remix, other discs have it in Dolby Atmos.
Umbrella/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray's 2.0 track is a stereo downmix. Older BDs and LDs have the original mono mix in varying quality, but are all inferior in fidelity to the new Dolby Atmos remix. The digital track on the Bandai/Emotion Japan LaserDisc BELL-942 is the best of the bunch.
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23714400&postcount=159
Only the GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has the English dub.
Best Video, Audio & English-Friendly:
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Best English-Friendly & Audio:
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
Caveat: Songs are only in Japanese, even with the English dub selected.
JP Toho 4K Blu-ray for the alternate Japanese audio with English songs, and US OOP Funimation Blu-ray for the English dub with English songs
Best Video:
US GKIDS/Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a higher bitrate than the Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray, but improvements are minimal, if visible.)
Best Video:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray / US GKIDS Blu-ray
US GKIDS Blu-ray for the Amazon English dub
US OOP Funimation Blu-ray for the older Funimation English dub
Additional Info:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray is an upscale, but has less compression artifacts, it also includes the theatrical cut (:2.0) on standard Blu-ray as a bonus.
Directors: Shinji Higuchi & Hideaki Anno
Best Video, Audio & English-Friendly:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray > France 4K Blu-ray > Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray; caps
US disc includes original Japanese intertitles, as well as stylized English translations for all of them, both burned-in.
Audio Notes:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has no limiting, unlike other releases.
Additional Info:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a new English dub, different from the old Funimation US Blu-ray
Best Video:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray / US GKIDS Blu-ray
US GKIDS Blu-ray for the Amazon English dub
US OOP Funimation Blu-ray for the older Funimation English dub
Additional Info:
Japan King Records 4K Blu-ray is an upscale, but has less compression artifacts, it also includes the theatrical cut (:1.0) and the DVD cut (:1.01) on standard Blu-ray as bonuses.
Best Video & English-Friendly:
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM
20 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
Video Notes:
2017 US GKIDS Blu-ray has better detail and grain, 2014 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray from the Hayao Miyazaki box set for MGVC with added bit-depth for supported players
Best Audio:
2011/2014 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray for original 6.1 audio mix, Cinema DTS for the English dub
Upcoming Release:
4K restoration shown in cinemas in 2026, no home release yet
Best Video:
2011 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japanese audio: 2011 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Best English-Friendly:
2017 GKIDS Blu-ray
Best Video:
2014 Japan Hayao Miyazaki boxset Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japanese audio: 2014 Japan Hayao Miyazaki boxset Studio Ghibli Blu-ray has 6.1 discrete
English audio: Cinema DTS-ES, 2010 US Disney Blu-ray as an alternative
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Best Video:
2013 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2013 Japan Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Director: Isao Takahata
Best Video:
2015 Japan "Isao Takahata Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japanese audio: 2015 Japan "Isao Takahata Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
1 with a weaker 4K
Best 4K release rated Disappointing or Worse Than BD · by Letterboxd rating
4 for audio only
The best audio is GKIDS'; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Best Audio:
Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray
English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio, and 2003 DVD is a fake 5.1 upmix
Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals
English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan remastered LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Ga Ippai Collection boxset
Upcoming Release:
Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray announced for a November 25, 2026 release
Best Video & English-Friendly:
2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray
Director: Michael Arias
Best Audio:
GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a true lossless English dub and correct volume levels for the Japanese audio
Video Notes:
GKIDS 4K Blu-ray is a sharpened upscale. Caps
Additional Info:
GKIDS has correct English subtitles that change a few lines from the director-approved dubtitles, to match with the Japanese dialogue better while still remaining true to director Michael Arias' intent. The corrected GKIDS subtitles are director-approved.
Best Audio:
Japanese audio: 2021 Japan Studio Ghibli box set Blu-ray/2011 Japan standalone Blu-ray
US English dub: 2012 US Disney Blu-ray/2017 US GKIDS Blu-ray/2012 Japan North American Edition Blu-ray
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Japan SD Blu-ray (bonus on the International Edition of 5 Centimeters per Second)
Video Notes:
Japan SD Blu-ray (bonus on the International Edition of 5 Centimeters per Second) has English subtitles
Japan SD Blu-ray (bonus on the International Edition of 5 Centimeters per Second) is the native SD transfer in a superior MPEG-4 AVC encode. GKIDS Blu-ray is upscaled.
5 announced
GKIDS' release is announced; until it is out, the picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Kiyotaka Oshiyama
Upcoming Release:
US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
The 4K Blu-ray is an upscale with strong sharpening. Caps
Best Audio:
2026 Japan Avex 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
Includes original 5.1 and an Atmos remix. The HD disc only includes 5.1.
Upcoming Release:
4K remastered US theatrical re-release in 2024 courtesy of GKIDS with either the Japanese audio with Disney's English subtitles or the English dub by Bandai
Not yet confirmed for a US home video release
Best English-Friendly:
Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the original Japanese audio with the best English subtitle translation
US Funimation Blu-ray for the Bandai dub
Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub
Best Audio:
Japan "4K Remastered" Disney Blu-ray has the original 6.1 mix
Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray for the DTS:X remix
Funimation US Blu-ray for the Bandai dub
Manga Entertainment UK Blu-ray for the Manga Entertainment dub
Additional Info:
Italy Dynit Blu-ray has the best picture quality but has no English subtitles or original theatrical 6.1 mix.
All "4K Remastered" and 4K Blu-ray releases (including from Disney) are taken from a 35mm filmout rather than the original digital source, and then heavily DNR'd, destroying original detail and making lines smearier than before. The Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray is the least bad presentation of the 4K remaster, being encoded with a very healthy bitrate and HDR10+ metadata, and with a top-notch DTS:X remix, with the original 6.1 mix included on the pack-in "4K Remastered" Blu-ray.
The film has multiple English subtitle translations, and the Disney subtitles done by Linda Hoaglund and Judith Aley with Aura are often seen as the best translation, with these subtitles present on the Japan Disney 4K Blu-ray, making this the definitive option for viewers who want to watch the film in Japanese with English subtitles.
TV series
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