Jan 25, 2024

Netflix Signs Exclusive Streaming Deal with Studio Ponoc; "The Imaginary" to be Released Later This Year

Netflix has signed a deal with Japanese studio Ponoc to exclusively distribute the studio's animated feature films.

The Imaginary, which Ponoc plans to release in 2021, will be the first new title included in the deal. The film will make its worldwide debut on Netflix later this year, following an exclusive theatrical release in Japan.

Ponoc's earlier titles, "Mary and the Witch's Flower" and "Modest Heroes," will premiere on Netflix in the United States on February 1.

When The Imaginary was announced, Studio Ponoc released a brief teaser.

Studio Ponoc was founded in 2015 by former Studio Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura, who was twice nominated for Academy Awards for The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Marnie: A Memoir.

In a release accompanying today's announcement, Nishimura said:

Studio Ponoc is excited to bring our storytelling and innovative hand-drawn animated films to all audiences around the world on Netflix, especially children and their families, to enjoy together. Netflix's sincere commitment to supporting animation as an important and valuable storytelling medium and to growing high-quality, pioneering animation makes Netflix a truly great partner.

As Cartoon Brew previously wrote about Ponoc:

With Mary and the Witch's Flower, Ponoc has marketed itself as a sort of successor to Ghibli. Mary and the Witch's Flower drew heavily on the visual and narrative elements of the Ghibli films. However, Ponoc then changed things up with Modest Heroes, an unconventional package of three short films with different styles.

Here's what we know about The Imaginary, which will debut on Netflix later this year: