HBO Max to Gain Tons of Classic Animated Movies Next Month

HBO Max is set to bolster their lineup of animated movies in a big way.

Today, international distributor Gkids—which owns the rights to films by several of animation’s biggest names, like Studio Ghibli—struck a new deal with HBO to expand their partnership. The deal will continue to make HBO the home of all future Gkids films while adding several of the distributor’s most iconic films to the streaming service.

Already, HBO Max is home to Studio Ghibli’s films, but most of Gkids’ non-Ghibli catalog is missing from the streamer. That will change starting September 1.

Many famous directors will have their films added to the streamer at the beginning of next month. For example, Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 drama Your Name, which became the highest-grossing Japanese animated film, will be added alongside the director’s other titles like Children Who Chase Lost Voices and The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Later this year and early next year, several other classic Gkids films will be added to HBO. For example, the animated works of iconic directors like Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress) and Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) will hit the service alongside the live-action works of Evangelion director Hideki Anno, like Shin Godzilla and Love & Pop.

Most of the movies listed above have never been legally available to stream in America, despite their popularity in North America and beyond.

“HBO Max’s continued partnership with GKIDS indicates our commitment to bringing world class Japanese animation and original films to our audiences,” said Royce Battleman, EVP, Global Content Acquisitions at Warner Bros. Discovery in a statement. “This deal, which introduces masterpieces and fan favorites to streaming for the very first time, allows us to continue delivering premium films to our subscribers and solidifies HBO Max’s position as a leading destination in the space.”