Toho is acquiring GKIDS for an undisclosed amount, as announced earlier today. GKIDS will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Toho International but with the same leadership. Eric Beckman will remain CEO and Dave Jesteadt will remain company President. Beckman founded GKIDS in 2008 and the two have run the company together since 2009.
According to the official press release, “Toho's acquisition of GKIDS aims to further accelerate the “TOHO VISION 2032 TOHO Group Management Enterprise Strategy” which sets out the company's growth and expansion plans outside of Japan, and aims to connect Japanese and international producers, creators and studios more directly and broadly with creators and fans abroad.” Toho also recently acquired the Science SARU studio.
Toho and GKIDS have worked together for years to create hits such as Makoto Shinkai's Weathering With You, Promare, Studio TRIGGER's Blue Giant and most recently The Colors Inside. GKIDS founders confirmed that GKIDS “will continue to operate as always.”
“For all the filmmakers, content partners, distribution partners and especially fans of GKIDS, this is truly great news,” said Beckman and Jesteadt. “GKIDS will continue to operate as we always have—with the same team, same passion and same mission—but now with the support of a legendary and highly complementary parent company. We are truly excited to partner with the venerable and renowned Toho, home of Godzilla and Akira Kurosawa, as well as blockbuster anime franchises such as My Hero AcadeKaren and Jujutsu Kaisen.”
Source: GKIDS