{
  "id": 16662029,
  "title": "Calcifer's Yule Log Is Coming Back to HBO Max for the Holiday Season",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/calcifers-yule-log-is-coming-back-to-hbo-max-for-the-holiday-season",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-26T20:25:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/studio-ghibli-calcifers-yule-log-is-coming-back-to-hbo-max-for-the-holiday-season"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "HBO Max is set to bring back the nostalgic Calcifer's Yule Log for the upcoming holiday season, delighting Studio Ghibli enthusiasts. The streaming platform confirmed the return on November 1, following its removal from the service after the 2021 holiday season. Originally introduced alongside A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Harry Potter, and Rick and Morty, the Yule Log is a beloved part of HBO Max's Yule Log lineup. Hayao Miyazaki's adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle, released in 2004, has since become a fan favorite and a staple in Ghibli's repertoire. The 30-minute video, inspired by the virtual fireplace trend, showcases Calcifer, voiced by Tatsuya Gashuin in the original and Billy Crystal in the English dub, as he keeps the Howl's titular castle's fireplace burning. A pleasant addition to Studio Ghibli fans' holiday programming, the Yule Log video will once again illuminate HBO Max's streaming lineup, now under the Skydance banner after Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. While the future of the video's permanence remains uncertain, fans can look forward to a cozy, magical holiday treat.",
  "summary": "As streaming services gear up for the holiday season, HBO Max has announced a particularly exciting addition for Studio Ghibli fans: the return of Calcifer's Yule Log. A Warner Bros. press release confirms the ambient video will be making its return to streaming on November 1. While Calcifer's Yule Log first debuted in HBO Max during the 2021 holiday season, it was later removed from the service…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}