IMAX Corporation and distributor GKIDS plan to present further 4K-restored versions of Studio Ghibli animations on giant screens next year. This initiative comes after the current year's IMAX debut of Princess Mononoke, with the upgrade process overseen by longtime Studio Ghibli veteran Atsushi Okui, who joined the organization in 1993.
Okui served as the Director of Digital Imaging for the 2023 release The Boy and the Heron, marking the studio's inaugural IMAX presentation. Other classics such as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away have seen recent returns to theaters. In North America, GKIDS manages distribution for Studio Ghibli's catalog across multiple formats and has collaborated with IMAX on several endeavors starting in 2021.
The outstanding Studio Ghibli features slated for U.S. IMAX theatrical runs will debut individually, though GKIDS has withheld details on the total count or the successor to Princess Mononoke in the coming year. A review of significant milestones reveals that 2026 commemorates the 40th anniversary of Castle in the Sky, yet a more recent production could prove a logical candidate for 4K enhancement. Further developments remain to be seen.