Ghibli's newest short film Majo no Tani no Yoru isn't on Netflix or Max. Find out which Ghibli shorts you can stream, and how to see the exclusives in Japan.

Darkroom: Where Can I Actually Watch the Newest Studio Ghibli Short Films?

2026年7月9日

Sora Tanka

I spend my days obsessing over the magical worlds of animation and the technical craft behind capturing them. When I'm not lost in a hand-drawn forest or digging through obscure forums, I'm probably trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between "impossible to find" and "watchable for everyone."

Published: July 9, 2026 | 12 min read | Last updated: July 9, 2026

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A brand-new Studio Ghibli short film just dropped — and you can't stream it anywhere. That's not a licensing delay, a region lock, or a technical glitch. It's completely intentional. Majo no Tani no Yoru (A Night in the Valley of Witches), which premiered exclusively at Ghibli Park on July 8, 2026, is the first-ever original short animation produced specifically for the park — and unless you're in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture right now, you missed the debut. If you've been refreshing Netflix and Max looking for it, here's the honest answer: stop. This article breaks down every Ghibli short film in existence, which ones you can legally watch online, which are locked behind a museum admission, and what you'd actually need to do to see the newest one.

⚡ Quick Answer

Most Studio Ghibli short films are not available on any streaming platform. Museum and Park exclusives screen only in Japan. The one exception is Zen: Grogu and Dust Bunnies (2022), viewable on Disney+. To see the newest short, Majo no Tani no Yoru, you need to visit Ghibli Park in Aichi, Japan.

What Is Majo no Tani no Yoru — And Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

Majo no Tani no Yoru translates roughly to A Night in the Valley of Witches. Anime News Network confirmed that the short is co-directed by Goro Miyazaki and Akihiko Yamashita — a pairing that genuinely matters. Yamashita isn't just a name attached to the project; he was character designer and animation director on Howl's Moving Castle and The Secret World of Arrietty, and he previously directed A Sumo Wrestler's Tail, one of the more beloved museum shorts. Putting him alongside Goro makes this an unusually heavyweight team for a short film.

The short is the first original short animation Studio Ghibli has produced specifically for Ghibli Park — not for the Museum in Mitaka, but for the theme park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture. It is set within the park's Valley of Witches area, which draws from Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, and Earwig and the Witch. The film screens at Cinema Orion inside the Grand Warehouse section of the park.

📊 Key Stat: This is Studio Ghibli's first new short anime since 2018, when Boro the Caterpillar premiered at the Ghibli Museum — an 8-year gap that makes Majo no Tani no Yoru a genuinely rare event for Ghibli fans. (Source: SoraNews24)

Why Are Studio Ghibli Short Films Never Put on Streaming Platforms?

This is the question that sends people spiraling through Reddit threads and dead-end forum posts. The answer isn't legal complexity — it's philosophy.

Hayao Miyazaki designed the Ghibli Museum from scratch in 2001 with a very specific idea in mind: the Saturn Theater should be a place where you see something you can't see anywhere else in the world. According to the museum's official guidance, "These films are never released on home video or streaming platforms, making them a truly once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience." That's not marketing copy. It's a structural decision. The films rotate on seasonal schedules, and the only way to see them is to physically be in that 80-seat theater.

"We hope you enjoy it — this film is set in the 'Witch's Valley' at Ghibli Park and is the first original short animated film that Studio Ghibli has ever created specifically for Ghibli Park."

— Studio Ghibli, Official announcement, April 2026 via CBR

From a business standpoint, this exclusivity also drives real-world attendance. The Ghibli Museum requires advance reservations for all visits, sells out months in advance, and limits daily capacity. The short films are one of the most cited reasons international tourists specifically plan a Mitaka day trip. For Ghibli Park, which opened in 2022 and now spans five distinct areas across roughly 7 hectares, offering a premium exclusive short at Cinema Orion creates a strong reason to purchase the Grand Warehouse admission add-on rather than a basic park entry.

In my experience tracking Ghibli releases across forums and fan communities since the early streaming era, there's never been a petition, a fan campaign, or even a credible leak suggesting these shorts would eventually hit Netflix or Max. The studio's answer has been consistent silence. They haven't said no — they've just never entertained the question publicly. That silence communicates more than any announcement would.

The Complete List of Studio Ghibli Museum and Park Exclusive Short Films

There are currently over ten short films that rotate through the Saturn Theater at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and Cinema Orion at Ghibli Park. The official museum films page lists the current rotation. Here is the complete catalog of museum/park-exclusive shorts along with their key details:

Title	Year	Director	Runtime
The Whale Hunt (Kujiraori)	2001	Hayao Miyazaki	16 min
Koro's Big Day Out	2002	Hayao Miyazaki	15 min
Mei and the Kittenbus	2002	Hayao Miyazaki	13 min
Mon Mon the Water Spider	2006	Hayao Miyazaki	14 min
The Day I Bought a Star	2006	Hayao Miyazaki	16 min
Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess	2010	Hayao Miyazaki	12 min
A Sumo Wrestler's Tail	2010	Akihiko Yamashita	15 min
House Hunting	2006	Hayao Miyazaki	16 min
Boro the Caterpillar	2018	Hayao Miyazaki	14 min
Majo no Tani no Yoru	2026	Goro Miyazaki & Akihiko Yamashita	TBA

Not every short is shown at all times. The Museum and the Park rotate titles seasonally. The Museum's current rotation shows Mei and the Kittenbus screening from July 1, 2026 onward. Majo no Tani no Yoru screens exclusively at Cinema Orion inside Ghibli Park's Grand Warehouse from July 8, 2026.

💡 Pro Tip: The Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park are separate venues about 90 minutes apart by public transit. You cannot see both in a single admission. Plan a dedicated day for each if you want to catch different shorts.

Studio Ghibli Short Films: Where to Watch in 2026 — A Night in the Valley of Witches | Photo by Casey Baseel on soranews24

What Studio Ghibli Content Can You Actually Watch Online Right Now?

Let's be practical. If you can't get to Japan, here's what's legally accessible:

Feature Films: Max (US) and Netflix (International)

Max is the exclusive U.S. streaming home for Studio Ghibli, carrying virtually the entire feature film catalog including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Boy and the Heron. The one exception is Grave of the Fireflies, which holds separate distribution rights and sits on Netflix in the U.S. Outside the U.S., Netflix carries the full international Ghibli catalog — including in Australia, the UK, Canada, and Singapore — but not in Japan itself.

The One Short Film You Can Stream: Zen — Grogu and Dust Bunnies

Released on November 12, 2022, Zen: Grogu and Dust Bunnies is a three-minute Ghibli-animated short produced in collaboration with Lucasfilm for Disney+. Directed by Katsuya Kondo, it stars Grogu from The Mandalorian meditating alongside the Susuwatari (soot sprites) from My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. It's charming, it's short, and it's genuinely Ghibli-animated — but it was made as a Disney+ promotional piece, not a museum exclusive, which is the only reason it ended up streamable. Think of it less as a Ghibli short in the traditional sense and more as a very good Ghibli commercial.

Ghibli Shorts Released to DVD / Blu-Ray in Japan

A handful of older Ghibli shorts — including On Your Mark (the Chage & Aska music video), The Night of Taneyamagahara, and the Ghiblies TV shorts — were released on Japanese DVD as part of the Ghibli ga Ippai collection. These are not on streaming but can be imported. Finding English subtitles requires some patience and some creative sourcing, but they exist.

Academy award winning movie by Studio Ghibli | Video by @crunchyrollstoreau on YouTube — used for informational/commentary purposes.

How to Get Tickets and Actually See These Films in Japan

Both venues require advance reservations. Neither accepts walk-ins. Here's the exact process for each:

Ghibli Museum (Mitaka, Tokyo) — Saturn Theater

Book in advance via Lawson Ticket or overseas partners: The museum sells tickets monthly, opening on the 10th of the prior month at 10 a.m. JST. International visitors can book through third-party partners like Ghibli Museum tour services if the Lawson system is intimidating.
Note which short is screening during your dates: The museum's official films page lists the current rotation. As of July 1, 2026, the current showing is Mei and the Kittenbus.
Arrive at Mitaka Station: The museum is a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute community bus ride from Mitaka Station on the JR Chuo Line. The Inokashira Park walk is highly recommended on clear days.
The short is included in standard admission: No separate ticket is needed for the Saturn Theater — it's part of the museum entry. Entry times are staggered, so you'll be assigned a theater viewing window at check-in.

Ghibli Park (Nagakute, Aichi) — Cinema Orion / Grand Warehouse

Buy tickets on the 10th of the prior month at 2 p.m. JST: International visitors use the Boo-Woo Ticket English portal. JapanTalkback's fan guide provides excellent timezone conversion details — 2 p.m. JST on May 10 was 1 a.m. EDT / 10 p.m. PDT the night before.
Purchase a Grand Warehouse admission ticket specifically: Majo no Tani no Yoru screens only at Cinema Orion inside the Grand Warehouse area. Standard park-only entry does not include this. Confirm your ticket tier before purchasing.
Get to Nagakute via Linimo: Ghibli Park sits within the Aichi Expo Memorial Park. Take the Linimo monorail from Fujigaoka Station (connected to Nagoya via the Higashiyama subway line) to Yakusa Station, then walk approximately 10 minutes into the park.
Weekend tickets sell out within minutes: Set multiple alarms, have payment saved, open multiple browser tabs. This is not hyperbole — the July 8 premiere's 150 special seats were reportedly gone in under five minutes.

⚠️ Important: Neither venue has any announced plans to release Majo no Tani no Yoru or any current museum short online. Do not trust third-party sites claiming to stream these films — they are almost certainly unauthorized uploads, and quality is typically terrible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you watch Studio Ghibli short films on Netflix or Max?

No. Studio Ghibli's museum and park-exclusive short films are not on Netflix, Max, or any streaming service. The only Ghibli short on a streaming platform is Zen: Grogu and Dust Bunnies (2022), available on Disney+. All other shorts require visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka or Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Japan.

What is Majo no Tani no Yoru?

Majo no Tani no Yoru (A Night in the Valley of Witches) is Studio Ghibli's newest short animated film, premiering July 8, 2026, exclusively at Cinema Orion inside Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi. It is co-directed by Goro Miyazaki and Akihiko Yamashita, and is the first Ghibli short produced specifically for Ghibli Park.

Why aren't Ghibli Museum short films released on streaming platforms?

Studio Ghibli intentionally keeps Museum and Park-exclusive shorts off all home media and streaming. Hayao Miyazaki designed the Saturn Theater to offer a once-in-a-lifetime exclusive experience. The scarcity is structural and deliberate — not a rights issue — and the studio has never announced plans to change this policy.

How do I get tickets to the Ghibli Museum or Ghibli Park?

Both require advance reservations with no walk-ins allowed. Museum tickets open on the 10th of each prior month at 10 a.m. JST via Lawson Ticket. Ghibli Park tickets open on the 10th at 2 p.m. JST via Boo-Woo Ticket for international visitors. Weekend slots and premium passes sell out within minutes.

Where can I watch Studio Ghibli feature films in 2026?

In the U.S., 23 of 24 Ghibli feature films are on Max (HBO Max), with Grave of the Fireflies on Netflix. Outside the U.S. (including Australia, UK, and Canada), Netflix carries the full international Ghibli catalog. Both platforms offer original Japanese audio and dubbed versions with subtitles.

What short film is currently showing at the Ghibli Museum in July 2026?

As of July 1, 2026, the Ghibli Museum Saturn Theater is screening Mei and the Kittenbus — the 13-minute sequel to My Neighbor Totoro directed by Hayao Miyazaki. At Ghibli Park's Cinema Orion, the new short Majo no Tani no Yoru began screening on July 8, 2026.

The Bottom Line: Some Things You Have to Travel For

Studio Ghibli short films exist in a category entirely their own. The feature films are readily available — Max in the U.S., Netflix everywhere else, and both platforms offer the full experience in Japanese with subtitles or dubbed in English. But the shorts? Those require a plane ticket.

Majo no Tani no Yoru is exactly the kind of release that splits the fandom. Half the community celebrates it as proof that Ghibli still values the irreplaceable power of a physical, shared experience. The other half will spend the next several years quietly hoping for a streaming release that the studio has given no indication of ever planning.

Both reactions are completely valid. But if you're serious about Ghibli, this is now on the list — alongside a Ghibli Museum morning and a full day at Ghibli Park — of things worth building a Japan trip around. Eight years between new shorts makes each one count. This one has Goro Miyazaki stepping out from under his father's shadow with a collaborator who helped define what Ghibli animation feels like. That's worth the flight.