Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki confirmed director Hayao Miyazaki has no idea what streaming is.
According to Crunchyroll, when attendees of an exhibition for the Story of Ghibli Museum photobook asked Suzuki about why Ghibli's ban on streaming was finally lifted, he attributed much of the decision to Miyazaki's lack of knowledge on the subject.
"Hayao Miyazaki doesn't know what streaming services are," Suzuki said. "He doesn't use computers or smartphones." Because of this, Suzuki was unable to convince Miyazaki to sell the streaming rights to Ghibli's extensive catalog to outside companies.
Suzuki also stated that even though Miyazaki is not well-versed in the streaming world, they both agree on its potential. "[Miyazaki] is interested in the new movies that are being made on Netflix. It's more likely that new films will be created for Netflix's service," Suzuki affirmed. "As a film creator, even though I think that cinemas and DVD's are important (for a film release), I also think that digital distribution is important."
Studio Ghibli promised its 21 films – including, but not limited to Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky – would be available for Netflix and HBO Max subscribers. American viewers, however, will only have access to the list of movies on HBO Max, which debuts May 20.