Toho announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of North American animation producer and distributor GKIDS. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Toho's acquisition of GKIDS is part of the previous “TOHO VISION 2032 TOHO Group Management Enterprise Strategy,” which detailed the company's “growth and expansion outside of Japan” plans as well such as the Japanese and international connection plan. products, creators and studios “more directly and broadly with creators and fans abroad.”
GKIDS founder and CEO Eric Beckman and president Dave Jesteadt released a full statement about the acquisition on the company's official Twitter handle.
From Eric Beckman, our Founder and CEO, and Dave Jesteadt, our President. pic.twitter.com/onSyJkiqi8
— GKIDS Films (@GKIDSfilms) October 15, 2024
Toho previously acquired Japanese animation studio Science SARU and also made an equity investment in Los Angeles-based production and distribution company Fifth Season, known for its work on Severance and Tokyo Vice.
Toho and GKIDS have worked together for many years, bringing many anime films to North America such as Weathering With You, Promare, Spirited Away: Live on Stage, etc.
Toho is also the Japanese domestic distributor for many of the same products handled by GKIDS in North America, including works by Studio Ghibli, Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai, etc.
Source: press release
Want to follow our news and weekly chart updates? Sign up for our newsletter to receive more content in your inbox!