Studio Ghibli’s 2010 fantasy feature Arrietty returns to UK and Irish cinemas this October in a newly remastered 4K presentation. Distributor GKIDS will screen the film on IMAX screens for two preview days on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October 2026, ahead of a full national theatrical release on Friday 16 October.
The screenings form part of an aggressive theatrical rollout following GKIDS’ acquisition of UK and Irish distribution rights for Studio Ghibli’s 23-film catalogue from French sales agency Goodfellas. Handled locally in partnership with Glasgow-based distributor Anime Limited, the release offers screenings in both the original Japanese with English subtitles and the original 2011 British English dub.
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi from a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, the film adapts Mary Norton’s classic 1952 children’s novel The Borrowers. The plot follows miniature teenager Arrietty, who lives secretly beneath the floorboards of a suburban house with her family until a human boy named Sho discovers her.
The British audio track remains a notable piece of casting history. Produced specifically for the UK market before Disney commissioned a separate American recording, the British dub marked the feature-film acting debut of 15-year-old Tom Holland, who voiced Sho opposite Saoirse Ronan in the title role. The domestic ensemble also features Olivia Colman, Mark Strong, and the late Geraldine McEwan.
When GKIDS announced the acquisition of the British and Irish catalogue rights, David Jesteadt, President at GKIDS, said in a statement:
We promise UK and Irish fans that we will take loving care of the Ghibli catalog, beginning with the IMAX release of Kiki’s Delivery Service this summer, and expand from there across all home video and digital platforms.”
The schedule shows a rapid pace of classic anime remasters across Britain. GKIDS and Anime Limited are screening Yoshifumi Kondo’s Whisper of the Heart in UK cinemas from 18 September (with IMAX previews from 16 September), placing two legacy Ghibli theatrical runs less than four weeks apart. The strategy tests cinema appetite ahead of planned physical home video re-issues, where collectors still await confirmation on whether the studio’s catalogue will finally receive physical 4K Ultra HD discs in the UK or remain confined to standard 1080p Blu-ray and digital storefronts.
Quick Links
- Cinema tickets and participating screening locations are available now through GKIDS Tickets.
