Gkids, North American Distributor Of Animated Oscar Perennials, Is Acquired By Japanese Media Giant Toho

Dade Hayes
3-min read

Japanese media giant Toho is acquiring Gkids, the North American distributor of prestige animated films like the Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron.

Gkids will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based Toho International. Gkids Founder Eric Beckman will remain as CEO, and Dave Jesteadt will remain as President.

More from Deadline

The two execs have run Gkids together since the company first released the Academy Award-nominated film The Secret of Kells as a two-person outfit in 2009. The company has gone on to rack up 13 Best Animated Feature nominations at the Academy Awards, winning the trophy last year for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.

The deal advances Toho’s goal to grow outside of Japan, and aims to connect its Japanese and international productions, creators, and studios more directly and widely with creators and fans overseas.  Toho acquired Japanese animation studio Science SARU and also made an equity investment in Los Angeles-based production and distribution company Fifth Season, formerly known as Endeavor Content.

Toho also achieved a milestone beyond its home country in 2023 with Godzilla Minus One. The film became the highest-grossing Japanese-language live-action film in the U.S. and the third-best foreign language release of all time domestically.

Gkids adds to Toho an established and well-regarded North American theatrical and home entertainment distribution, marketing, and sales operation. Those assets are intended to complement the licensing, merchandising and e-commerce operations of its Toho International banner. It also livens up the sector where Sony’s Crunchyroll, Netflix and others have ramped up in recent years.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The two companies have collaborated a number of times over the years, on projects like Weathering With You, Studio TRIGGER’s Promare and Spirited Away: Live on Stage, and others. Toho is also the Japanese domestic distributor for many of the same properties handled by Gkids in North America, including the works of Studio Ghibli, Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai, and many more.

“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,” Toho CEO Hiro Matsuoka said. “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.”

In a joint statement, Beckman and Jesteadt called the transaction “great news” for filmmakers, business partners and fans. “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,” they said. “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.”

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.