Anime Limited, in partnership with PLAION, have today announced that they licensed the Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies for Cinema and Blu-Ray release in the UK. The film was previously licensed by STUDIOCANAL in the UK, and is also currently available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
Released in 1988, directed by the late Isao Takahata, and based on the personal accounts of survivor Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is considered as one of the most stunning contributions to animation and cinematic history with its dramatic story and depictions of war.
Synopsis: When an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II, 14 year-old Seita and his 4 year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality.
Grave of the Fireflies has previously been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK, with STUDIOCANAL releasing the film as a Standard DVD, Combo Pack (Blu-Ray & DVD) and Steelbook Blu-Ray, but all of these editions are now out print.
As it stands Anime Limited plan to give Grave of the Fireflies a wider cinematic, and Blu-Ray, release in 2026 with further details to be announced. A special screening of the film will also take place on 27th August 2025 (at 8:30pm) at the Barbican Centre in London as part of a special “Animation at War” event. For the time being at least the film is available to stream in dubbed and subbed formats on Netflix.
