Toho has acquired North American distributor and licensor GKIDS as part of a huge new deal that will likely change up anime distribution in the United States. Toho is one of the largest publication houses in Japan, and has only been getting bigger in the past year as they seek to expand their various avenues. Just earlier this Spring, Toho announced that they would be acquiring production studio Science Saru, the anime studio behind anime hits such as Dandadan and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. This expansion now continues with one of the biggest anime licensors in North America in GKIDS, Inc.
As part of this new acquisition, GKIDS will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toho International with GKIDS founder Eric Beckman remaining on as CEO and Dave Jesteadt remaining on as President. Beckman and Jesteadt have been at the helm for the licensor since 2009, and have led the company to its many notable awards nominations. GKIDS even got its very first Academy Award win with Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron earlier this year, so GKIDS has been doing better than ever. Now it’s joined forces with Toho International to take that even further.
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What Does GKIDS Joining Toho International Mean for Anime?
Toho President and CEO Hiro Matsuoka noted how much of an impact GKIDS has had on the Western anime release market, and explained how this acquisition is in part of Toho’s efforts to better connect creators in Japan with audiences in other markets (as shared in a a statement with Variety), “Through their hard work, vision, and integrity, GKIDS has built a unique position in the U.S. market, which dovetails perfectly with Toho’s own strengths and strategic mission. This partnership accelerates Toho’s goals to prioritize animation, develop international markets, and support IP creation, while bringing exceptional Japanese and animated content to global audiences. We are honored to be working together with Eric, Dave and the entire GKIDS team and welcoming them into the Toho family.”
As for GKIDS’ side of things, connecting with Toho is going to bring their already established team to an even greater level of connectivity with creators overseas as Beckman and Jesteadt shared the excitement for in their official statement on the acquisition, “For all GKIDS’ filmmakers, content partners, distribution partners, and especially the fans, this is truly great news. GKIDS will continue to operate as we always have – with the same team, the same passion, and the same mission – but now with the backing of a highly complementary and legendary parent company.”
As they explain, GKIDS and Toho will have even more connectivity when it comes to releasing anime projects in the other territories in the future, “We are truly thrilled to be joining forces with the esteemed and storied Toho, home to ‘Godzilla ‘and Akira Kurosawa, as well as blockbuster anime franchises like ‘My Hero Academia’ and ‘Jujutsu Kaisen.’ This partnership will empower us to bring even more amazing films to North American and global audiences, while we continue to champion animation as a cinematic artform and push the limits of what the medium is capable of. We could not be more excited about the opportunities in front of us. The best is yet to come.”
What’s Next for GKIDS and Toho?
It’s yet to be announced what kind of new projects we’ll be seeing from Toho acquiring GKIDS, and how this will have an impact on theatrical releases, but it’s surely going to make access easier. Fans have seen the two companies already work together on the special event bringing Dandadan‘s first three episodes to theaters ahead of their full premiere this Fall, and Toho themselves has even brought films to theaters outside of Japan like with the recent success of My Hero Academia: You’re Next.
As Toho is likely looking into distributing more of their own projects outside of Japan, it’s likely that they have acquired the experienced licensor to better help in those efforts. GKIDS will have a better connectivity with overseas creators for upcoming new projects, and Toho will have a better distribution network for their releases in theaters in the United States and Canada.