Finally, there is an easy way to watch Studio Ghibli movies online. Many people spent years buying Blu-rays and DVDs of Hayao Miyazaki's films, but now they can watch them on the best streaming services, including Netflix and HBO Max.

But yes, it is true. Not everyone can stream classic movies like "Princess Mononoke," "Howl's Moving Castle," "My Neighbor Totoro," and "Spirited Away" on the same service because licensing rights relationships are always complicated. And, as frustrating as it may be for some, the service is not available to many people already.

Co-founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli is an animated feature-length studio that has produced some of the most imaginative films in history. Some of Ghibli's most iconic characters, such as Totoro, Kaonashi, and Kiki, were born here. These unique characters have appeared in lush, hand-drawn worlds and have inspired countless fans to consider what is possible, not just what is on the market.

Ghibli has also won many awards. For example, "Princess Mononoke" became the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture. In addition, "Spirited Away" is not only a critical favorite, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2003, but it also took over the number one spot from "Titanic" as Japan's all-time highest grossing film.

The first news about streaming Ghibli films came in October when Variety revealed that HBO Max, the upcoming service under Warner Media, would exclusively stream Studio Ghibli films in the U.S. January 20, Netflix announced that it would make its Studio Ghibli library available to viewers around the world:

Nevertheless, figuring out how to watch Studio Ghibli films may require setting up a new streaming service account if you are in the US. Especially since some of the films are not on Netflix or HBO max. Here is a complete guide to watching Studio Ghibli movies online:

Unfortunately, for those in the US, almost all of Studio Ghibli's movies are only on Netflix for those outside the US. This means that anyone in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and countless other regions using Netflix can get the Ghibli collection from the streaming service that they probably already have.

There is, of course, one exception to this rule.

Suppose you are traveling but do not want to spend money on a new streaming service to watch Studio Ghibli movies. Netflix members on vacation in the U.S. or HBO Max subscribers outside the U.S. don't have to wait until they get home; with a VPN (virtual private network), your computer can make it look like you are in the region of your choice.

We evaluated this area and found that the best VPN service is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of many users and offers excellent compatibility with most devices and phenomenal connection speeds.

In the U.S., most Studio Ghibli films are available exclusively on HBO Max. The recently launched streaming service also offers other family-friendly content from Sesame Workshop and animated films from Crunchyroll.

Hulu has (for now) one Studio Ghibli film that Netflix and HBO Max do not: Isao Takahata's 1988 film "Grave of the Fireflies." In other words, Hulu is U.S.-only, so viewers outside the U.S. do not have access to early Ghibli films.

The list of Studio Ghibli films available for streaming on HBO Max and Netflix is as follows. As noted above, Isao Takahata's "Grave of the Fireflies" will not be available on Hulu for the foreseeable future.