Gkids is bringing two more Studio Ghibli classics to North American Imax screens, with newly remastered 4K versions of “Whisper of the Heart” and “The Secret World of Arrietty” set for release on April 21 and May 19, respectively.
Both films will screen in U.S. and Canadian Imax venues in their original Japanese language with subtitles, as well as in English-dubbed versions.
The releases extend the ongoing Gkids-Imax collaboration, which in December expanded its scope to bring a slate of newly remastered Ghibli titles to North American audiences exclusively through Imax. “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” the most recent title in the series, is set to screen in 4K remaster beginning March 13. “Princess Mononoke,” which launched the current remaster run earlier in 2025, became the second-highest-grossing vault release in Imax history.
“Whisper of the Heart” (1995), directed by Yoshifumi Kondo from a screenplay and storyboards by studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, is based on the manga by Aoi Hiiragi. The coming-of-age story follows Shizuku, a young dreamer whose chance encounter with a mysterious cat leads her toward self-discovery, with an aspiring boy named Seiji and an enchanted cat figurine called The Baron shaping her path.
“The Secret World of Arrietty” (2010), directed by Academy Award nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi from a screenplay by Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa – who also worked on project planning – adapts Mary Norton’s beloved children’s novel “The Borrowers.” The film follows Arrietty, one of a race of tiny people who live concealed beneath the floors of a human household, after she is spotted by a boy named Shawn and the two forge an unexpected bond. The English dub features the voices of Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Moises Arias and Carol Burnett.
The 4K remastering process across the series is being overseen by Atsushi Okui of Studio Ghibli, a veteran whose involvement with the studio stretches back to “Porco Rosso” in 1992. He most recently served as director of digital imaging on Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning “The Boy and the Heron,” the first Ghibli title to receive an Imax release. Gkids and Imax have been partnered since 2021.
Gkids handles North American distribution for the Studio Ghibli library across all release formats and platforms, and has run the annual Ghibli Fest monthly theatrical program – which screens across more than 1,000 venues nationwide – since 2017.
