Iconic Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki emerged from his self-announced retirement, which began a few years after he made “The Wind Rises” (2013), to tell the autobiographical story of “The Boy and the Heron.” Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki had to reassemble the staff of the production company to complete the task, and the hard work was recognized with the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in March 2024.
The 2023 film added another Oscar to the animation director’s accolades after “Spirited Away” won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2011. The Academy Award win will send the film back into theaters for a limited time, and fresh off the win at the beginning of March, the film set two different streaming homes depending on where you live.
Those wondering how to watch “The Boy and the Heron” in the meantime can read on for details:
When did “The Boy and the Heron” come out?...
The 2023 film added another Oscar to the animation director’s accolades after “Spirited Away” won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2011. The Academy Award win will send the film back into theaters for a limited time, and fresh off the win at the beginning of March, the film set two different streaming homes depending on where you live.
Those wondering how to watch “The Boy and the Heron” in the meantime can read on for details:
When did “The Boy and the Heron” come out?...
- 3/22/2024
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron flies onto Max as the streamer extends its Studio Ghibli pact
Hayao Miyazaki’s cerebral fantasy film The Boy and the Heron is flying onto Max in the United States after winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar at this year’s awards ceremony. In addition to bringing Miyazaki’s latest breath-taking animated feature to the streaming platform, Warner Bros. Discovery is entering a multiyear pact with GKids to extend Max’s exclusive U.S. film streaming rights for Studio Ghibli.
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
Per the new deal, Max will be the future home of The Boy and the Heron, with a premiere date to be announced later this year. The agreement also secures exclusivity on Max for other films in Studio Ghibli’s library, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, and more.
“Our subscribers are always looking for unique stories, and we are happy to continue to offer these award-winning, critically acclaimed films and to add ‘The Boy and the Heron...
- 3/12/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
The Boy and the Heron Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, and Yoshino Kimura
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The Boy and the Heron Movie Review ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The film’s animation is breathtaking, proving that classic 2D animation still has space on the big screen.
What’s Bad: The film’s story can get confusing sometimes, and many audience members will only know what is happening if they pay full attention.
Loo Break: No loo breaks for this one. The film asks for your full attention as you need to decipher its symbolism to give meaning to the film.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this could be Miyazaki’s last film and needs to be watched on the big screen.
Language: Japanese (with subtitles)
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 124 Minutes
User Rating:
Hayao Miyazaki’s career has been one of the most...
Star Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, and Yoshino Kimura
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The Boy and the Heron Movie Review ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
What’s Good: The film’s animation is breathtaking, proving that classic 2D animation still has space on the big screen.
What’s Bad: The film’s story can get confusing sometimes, and many audience members will only know what is happening if they pay full attention.
Loo Break: No loo breaks for this one. The film asks for your full attention as you need to decipher its symbolism to give meaning to the film.
Watch or Not?: Yes, this could be Miyazaki’s last film and needs to be watched on the big screen.
Language: Japanese (with subtitles)
Available On: Theaters
Runtime: 124 Minutes
User Rating:
Hayao Miyazaki’s career has been one of the most...
- 12/30/2023
- by Nelson Acosta
- KoiMoi
Hayao Miyazaki's first feature in 10 years crept into theaters with a bang. After many years of a wish-washy retirement, the 83-year old director of beloved Studio Ghibli titles like “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke” returned with his beautifully animated “The Boy and the Heron.” Notably, though the film appeared in Japanese theaters sans PR (a deliberate choice on Miyazaki's end), the movie has taken the world by storm. I personally have been hearing about it since the day of its premiere: first, friends reporting back on their summer Japan travels; then other journalists at TIFF; and finally, within vicinity, from neighbors and colleagues near me, as the film scoops the coveted No. 1 spot in the North American box office. With Gkids' North American release hitting the high of the holidays, it is almost no wonder that film critics have been tittering about “The Boy and the Heron's” potential...
- 12/21/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Addressing loss and grief, Hayao Miyazaki’s dazzlingly surreal animation has the tender, solemn air of an artist reflecting on his own spellbinding legacy
50 best films of 2023 in the UKMore on the best culture of 2023
Celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to deliver this Alice in Wonderland-esque fantasy about a young boy coming to terms with his mother’s death during the second world war, illuminating his grief with dazzlingly surreal visuals that are a joy to behold.
Twelve-year-old Mahito (voiced by Soma Santoki) is struggling to fit in after moving to the countryside with his father. When he follows a talking grey heron into an enchanted tower, he’s plunged into a bizarre parallel universe. It turns out his mother might be alive after all, so off he goes in search of her, encountering freakishly giant parakeets, adorable marshmallow spirits and a girl named Himi,...
50 best films of 2023 in the UKMore on the best culture of 2023
Celebrated Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to deliver this Alice in Wonderland-esque fantasy about a young boy coming to terms with his mother’s death during the second world war, illuminating his grief with dazzlingly surreal visuals that are a joy to behold.
Twelve-year-old Mahito (voiced by Soma Santoki) is struggling to fit in after moving to the countryside with his father. When he follows a talking grey heron into an enchanted tower, he’s plunged into a bizarre parallel universe. It turns out his mother might be alive after all, so off he goes in search of her, encountering freakishly giant parakeets, adorable marshmallow spirits and a girl named Himi,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Ann Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s Japanese film The Boy and the Heron flew to a record-breaking $12.8 million opening, making it the first original anime title in history to top the North American box office chart.
The whimsical movie — which earned Miyazaki his first Golden Globe nomination on Monday — wisely chose to open on a weekend when there were no new wide releases from the major Hollywood studios. The first and second weekends of December are generally quiet as the studios prepare to unwrap their big Christmas films.
This year, the holiday action gets underway in earnest next weekend when Warner Bros. opens Wonka, although it debuted in select markets overseas this weekend to a very promising $43.2 million from 37 markets, enough to rank No. 1 on the weekend global weekend chart.
The Boy and the Heron shattered other records as well, including already becoming Miyazaki’s top-grossing film domestically after earning $5.6 million on Friday from 2,205 theaters,...
The whimsical movie — which earned Miyazaki his first Golden Globe nomination on Monday — wisely chose to open on a weekend when there were no new wide releases from the major Hollywood studios. The first and second weekends of December are generally quiet as the studios prepare to unwrap their big Christmas films.
This year, the holiday action gets underway in earnest next weekend when Warner Bros. opens Wonka, although it debuted in select markets overseas this weekend to a very promising $43.2 million from 37 markets, enough to rank No. 1 on the weekend global weekend chart.
The Boy and the Heron shattered other records as well, including already becoming Miyazaki’s top-grossing film domestically after earning $5.6 million on Friday from 2,205 theaters,...
- 12/10/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: After his mother dies during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Traumatized by the death of his mother and struggling to accept his circumstances, Mahito finds himself lured into a fantasy world out of time and space by an antagonistic grey Heron (Masaki Suda). As Mahito struggles to make sense of the new macrocosm, he ends a vicious cycle of generational trauma, ultimately making peace with his new surroundings by accepting the winds of change.
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
Review: As an animation enthusiast, few cinematic pleasures are more anticipated than experiencing another potential masterpiece from the “Godfather of Anime,” Hayao Miyazaki. The co-founder of Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of animation’s greatest treasures, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Image: Gkids
Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s un-retirement animated feature The Boy And The Heron is a little like watching Bob Dylan play the hits live: you have some idea of what you’ll get, even if it’s all jumbled up into a wholly new combination and style. Released in...
Watching Hayao Miyazaki’s un-retirement animated feature The Boy And The Heron is a little like watching Bob Dylan play the hits live: you have some idea of what you’ll get, even if it’s all jumbled up into a wholly new combination and style. Released in...
- 12/7/2023
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
As the yin-yang decal on our yoga teacher’s Subaru Crosstrek reminds us thrice a week, every natural force or entity has its perfect mirror inverse. And so, just as during the summer we escaped to movie theaters in order to cool down from record high temps, the temperature extremes caused by climate collapse now drive us back to those same movie theaters for warmth, nursing our frigid tootsies at the hearth of the annual awards season dump of very exciting Don’t-Miss Indies. But Tldr; Happy Holidays!
Eileen
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: William Oldroyd
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland
Why We’re Excited: Described as “wildly audacious, wondrously twisted” and “deliciously deranged” by Jessica Kiang in her review for Variety, director William Oldroyd’s sophomore feature after 2018’s Lady MacBeth (nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for...
Eileen
When You Can Watch: Now
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: William Oldroyd
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland
Why We’re Excited: Described as “wildly audacious, wondrously twisted” and “deliciously deranged” by Jessica Kiang in her review for Variety, director William Oldroyd’s sophomore feature after 2018’s Lady MacBeth (nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for...
- 12/4/2023
- by Su Fang Tham
- Film Independent News & More
“The Boy and the Heron” marks the 14th collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi. But even after almost four decades of working together, the animator and the composer are finding new ways to create new sounds. “The Boy and The Heron” is the story of Mahito (Soma Santoki), a young man who leaves the firebombing of Tokyo for the Japanese countryside in World War II, and then ends up guided by the titular Heron (Masaki Suda) to a completely different place in order to rescue his stepmother Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) from the clutches of otherworldly forces. And also a lot of birds.
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
But parakeets hungry for human flesh aren’t the only novel thing about “The Boy and The Heron.” Hisaishi has in the past described his Studio Ghibli scores as a two years on, two years off cycle. When releasing the “Symphonic Celebration” Ghibli collection with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
Clockwise from bottom left: The Color Purple (Warner Bros.), Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros.), Ferrari (Neon), and Wonka (Warner Bros.)Graphic: The A.V. Club
December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations,...
December has always been one of the most important moviegoing months of the year; you’ve got all the prestige pics competing for Oscar nominations,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Jen Lennon, Matt Schimkowitz, Ian Spelling, Luke Y. Thompson, and Phil Pirrello
- avclub.com
Updated with latest: The Toronto Film Festival began September 7 in Ontario with opening-night movie The Boy and the Heron, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. It kicked off a lineup for the fest’s 48th edition that included world premieres of GameStop pic Dumb Money, Netflix’s Pain Hustlers, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, Kristin Scott Thomas’ Scarlett Johansson pic North Star, Chris Pine’s Poolman, Michael Keaton-directed Knox Goes Away, Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, Atom Egoyan’s Seven Veils, Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana, Grant Singer’s Reptile, Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt, Lee Tamahori’s The Convert and Alex Gibney’s doc In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
It ended Sunday when Cord Jefferson’s satire American Fiction won TIFF’s People’s Choice Award for best film, usually a steppingstone to a strong awards season to come.
The fest also...
- 9/18/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury, Valerie Complex, Pete Hammond, Todd McCarthy and Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Plot: After his mother is killed during WW2, a young Japanese boy, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), is sent to go live with his Aunt, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), with whom his munitions factory owner father is trying to start a new family. Deeply scarred by the death of his mother and unable to accept his aunt, he finds himself distracted by a trouble-making grey Heron (Masaki Suda) who eventually whisks him into an alternate world of fantasy and danger that is tied to his ancestors.
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
Review: We all have our blind spots regarding film history. I’m proud of the fact that I have a solid knowledge and love for both the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic foreign cinema, but I have one place where my film knowledge comes up glaring (and shamefully) short. I’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie. I’ve never been a major animation buff,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
There are those who were confused upon reading the announcement that the Toronto International Film Festival would kick off its 48th edition with The Boy and the Heron, from the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. And then there are those who heard that this latest — and possibly the last — movie made by this 82-year-old artist would be TIFF’s opening-night selection, and understood exactly why this was the correct choice. While animation is still viewed as inferior to live-action in many quarters, by people who should know better — or dismissed as...
- 9/8/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
More often than not, Hayao Miyazaki’s heroes have been young women — from Ponyo to Princess Mononoke, mischief-seeking Kiki to the two sisters spirited away by furry forest guardians in “My Neighbor Totoro.” That’s the most obvious departure the anime maestro’s fans will notice in “The Boy and the Heron”: It’s about a boy, Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki), grieving the loss of his mother during wartime. He’s surrounded by women, but this quest falls on the shoulders of a character who’s reportedly closer to Miyazaki than any of his previous protagonists.
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
In 2013, the world-renowned toon auteur announced his retirement from feature filmmaking. He disbanded Studio Ghibli, the company he’d co-founded, and let its artists scatter to find work where they could. But Miyazaki couldn’t stop drawing. And this time, the adventure he imagined centered on a 12-year-old boy and the...
- 9/8/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
In cinema, few names are as iconic as Hayao Miyazaki, and his latest adventure carries the weight of expectation. Drawing inspiration from the mysticism of Japanese folklore and grounded in the pain of personal loss, The Boy and the Heron, which opened the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, is a visual spectacle that rekindles the art of 2D animation in an era dominated by the digital.
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother. He tries to help put out the fire, but...
- 9/8/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The teaser trailer for The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s purported final film, has been released by Studio Ghibli ahead of its arrival in US theaters on December 8th.
Taking place during World War II, the film centers around a teenager named Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) who is sorting out his life following the tragic death of his mother in a fire. After relocating to the countryside with his father (Takuya Kimura), Mahito uncovers a mysterious, hidden world and encounters a talking grey heron. Watch The Boy and the Heron trailer below.
“A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead,” reads the official description. “There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”
The Boy and the Heron...
Taking place during World War II, the film centers around a teenager named Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) who is sorting out his life following the tragic death of his mother in a fire. After relocating to the countryside with his father (Takuya Kimura), Mahito uncovers a mysterious, hidden world and encounters a talking grey heron. Watch The Boy and the Heron trailer below.
“A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead,” reads the official description. “There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”
The Boy and the Heron...
- 9/6/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Studio Ghibli has pulled back the curtain on Hayao Miyazaki’s animated fantasy epic “The Boy and the Heron,” the director’s first feature since his 2013 drama “The Wind Rises.” The movie will get a U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 8.
After playing in Japan, the film is now set to open the Toronto International Film Festival — the first animated or Japanese film to do so. It will also screen at the New York Film Festival. “The Boy and the Heron’s” release in Japan came with conspicuously little promotional material, an effort to maintain an air of secrecy around the enigmatic film. The only image of the movie before its Japanese release was of a mysterious heron, and the new trailer marks the first official footage released publicly to audiences.
The film has grossed $52.5 million to date in Japan, eight weeks into its theatrical run. That makes it Studio...
After playing in Japan, the film is now set to open the Toronto International Film Festival — the first animated or Japanese film to do so. It will also screen at the New York Film Festival. “The Boy and the Heron’s” release in Japan came with conspicuously little promotional material, an effort to maintain an air of secrecy around the enigmatic film. The only image of the movie before its Japanese release was of a mysterious heron, and the new trailer marks the first official footage released publicly to audiences.
The film has grossed $52.5 million to date in Japan, eight weeks into its theatrical run. That makes it Studio...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
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