Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty Hits IMAX in Restored 4K Across North America

Studio Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty arrived on IMAX screens across the United States and Canada on May 19, presented in a restored 4K version distributed by GKIDS. The release marks the latest entry in the ongoing partnership between GKIDS, IMAX, and Studio Ghibli to bring the legendary animation house's catalog to large-format theaters.

A Borrower's Tale, Supersized

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and based on Mary Norton's beloved novel The Borrowers, The Secret World of Arrietty follows a tiny family living hidden beneath the floorboards of a human household. When young Arrietty is spotted by a human boy named Sho, their unlikely connection sets off a chain of events that threatens her family's secrecy and safety. The film originally premiered in Japan in 2010 and was released in North America by GKIDS in 2012.

The 4K restoration was overseen by Studio Ghibli imaging director Atsushi Okui, whose career with the studio stretches back to Porco Rosso in 1992. Okui most recently contributed to Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning The Boy and the Heron, bringing decades of expertise in preserving and enhancing the studio's hand-drawn aesthetic for modern projection standards. The IMAX screenings are available in both the original Japanese with English subtitles and in English-dubbed versions.

Ghibli's Growing IMAX Legacy

The Arrietty release is part of a broader initiative that began in 2021 when GKIDS and IMAX first partnered to bring Studio Ghibli titles to the premium large-format experience. The collaboration has already produced significant commercial results Princess Mononoke became the second-highest-grossing vault release in IMAX history, demonstrating the enduring theatrical demand for Ghibli's hand-drawn masterworks.

The 2026 calendar has been particularly active for the partnership. Kiki's Delivery Service began its IMAX run on March 13, while Whisper of the Heart directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo from a screenplay and storyboards by Miyazaki launched on April 21. Arrietty's May 19 debut continues this roughly monthly cadence of restored Ghibli titles reaching IMAX audiences.

GKIDS and the North American Ghibli Catalog

GKIDS holds the distribution rights to the Studio Ghibli library across North America and has operated the annual Ghibli Fest program since 2017, screening classic titles monthly across more than 1,000 venues nationwide. The IMAX initiative sits alongside Ghibli Fest as a complementary theatrical strategy, with the large-format screenings offering a distinct premium experience compared to the wider but standard-format Ghibli Fest runs.

The sustained theatrical rollout reflects a broader industry recognition that Ghibli's catalog retains powerful draw for audiences well beyond typical repertory screenings. Each 4K restoration supervised by Okui ensures the films meet the technical demands of IMAX projection while preserving the painterly quality that defines the studio's visual identity.

What Comes Next

With three Ghibli titles already released on IMAX in 2026 and the monthly cadence holding steady, further restorations from the studio's deep catalog are likely on the horizon. Tickets for The Secret World of Arrietty in IMAX are available at participating venues across the US and Canada.