A wealth of anime series and movies will soon be available on Tubi TV thanks to a new partnership with media distributor GKIDS.
According to the Anime News Network, GKIDS' animated film collection will appear on the free streaming service later this month and additional titles will launch throughout the year. The distributor holds the licenses for many iconic and award-winning anime like Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji's The Deer King and Hayao Miyazaki's Future Boy Conan. GKIDS also oversees the North American distribution of Studio Ghibli's beloved movies, including Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, The Secret World of Arrietty and Howl's Moving Castle.
Moreover, GKIDS has licensed Hosoda's latest anime feature film, Belle, a modern reimagining of Beuaty and the Beast, which debuted in Japan in July 2021 and in North America in January 2022. Belle tells the story of Suzu Naito, a teenager in rural Japan who aspires to become a famous singer but is limited by her shyness and trauma. However, her life changes when she joins the virtual social network of U and creates a digital alter ego, Belle, an international singing sensation. Her newfound stardom not only garners her billions of adoring fans but also brings her into contact with The Dragon, one of U's most notorious users.
Belle is Hosada's highest-grossing movie in the United States, earning $2 million during its opening alone; in contrast, his Academy Award-nominated movie, Mirai, only managed to bring in $812,000 during its entire theatrical run in 2018. Moreover, Belle is one of the highest-grossing films in Japan for 2021, finishing fourth behind Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01: Thrice Upon a Time and Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet.
The upcoming releases from GKIDS' expansive library aren't the only recent anime additions to Tubi TV. Last year, the free streaming service added several film titles from the long-running multimedia franchise Anpaman, including The Secret of Fairy Rin-Rin, Revive Banana Island and The Adventure of Happie. It also acquired several popular anime from distributor NIS America like the classic magical girl series Cardcaptor Sakura, the girls love comedy YURIYURI and the romantic comedy Toradora!.
Tubi TV is a free, ad-supported streaming service that is available through mobile apps on Android and iOS and on the Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: Anime News Network
