Arrietty hits IMAX in UK and Ireland for first time

Studio Ghibli's Arrietty is coming to IMAX screens across the UK and Ireland in October 2026—a first for the film in that format. GKIDS, which recently acquired distribution rights to Ghibli's library in both territories, is behind the release.

The film will screen in two versions: the original Japanese with English subtitles, and the 2011 English dub. That dub is a proper draw—it features Tom Holland, Saoirse Ronan, Olivia Colman, Geraldian McEwan, and Mark Strong voicing the cast.

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and based on Mary Norton's The Borrowers, Arrietty follows a tiny girl living beneath the floorboards of a human home. It's a quieter Ghibli film than some—less apocalyptic spectacle, more intimate charm—which makes the IMAX treatment genuinely interesting. The scale reversal (enormous screen, miniature protagonist) should land differently in that format.

This is part of GKIDS' broader push to reintroduce Ghibli's catalogue to UK and Irish audiences. The timing suggests a remaster; the announcement mentions 4K restoration, which tracks with how these re-releases typically work. Whether that translates to a theatrical run beyond IMAX remains to be seen, but for now, October is your window.

Source: Anime UK News