Movies › The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron 2023

Movie · 124 min · Japanese · July 14, 2023

Animated adventure Coming-of-age Fantasy adventure

Directed by Hayao MiyazakiWritten by Hayao Miyazaki

Starring Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Shōhei Hino

A 2023 Japanese animated fantasy film, The Boy and the Heron, was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Its Japanese title alludes to the 1937 novel How Do You Live? by Studio Ghibli, though it does not adapt that work. The voices of Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, and Shinobu Otake are featured in the film. It tells the story of Mahito Maki, a boy who relocates to rural surroundings following his mother's death. He stumbles upon a ruined tower close to his new home and ventures into a surreal realm inhabited by a talking grey heron.

Miyazaki announced his retirement in September 2013 but later changed his mind after completing the short Boro the Caterpillar in 2018. Storyboarding for this next major film began in July 2016, with official production commencing in May 2017. The movie's title was revealed in October 2017, originally aiming for a release near the 2020 Summer Olympics. By May 2020, approximately 36 minutes of animation had been completed by 60 animators, with no predetermined finish date. The overall production lasted about seven years, encountering setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Miyazaki's slow approach to animation, before finishing in October 2022. Funding came through streaming agreements for earlier Ghibli works. Producer Toshio Suzuki stated that The Boy and the Heron is Japan’s most costly film ever made. The screenplay draws significantly from Miyazaki’s youth and deals with themes of growing up and navigating a world shaped by war and grief. Joe Hisaishi created the soundtrack, while Kenshi Yonezu composed and performed the theme song titled "Spinning Globe".

The Boy and the Heron premiered in Japan on July 14, 2023 through Toho, shown in both standard theaters and formats like IMAX. The release attracted attention for its lack of marketing efforts; Ghibli did not issue any trailers, images, plot summaries, or casting announcements before its Japanese debut beyond one poster. Critics responded positively to the film, grossing 10 worldwide, placing it as the sixth most successful domestic movie in Japan's history. Notable awards include recognition from the National Board of Review as one of the top 10 films of 2023 and a win for Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Japanese Academy Film Prize.