Nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film
Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love, and rises to a staggering work of imagination. Coming after the maker of SPIRITED AWAY and PRINCESS MONONOKE announced his retirement, THE BOY AND THE HERON is an especially precious gift, and possibly the final film we will see from one of cinema’s greatest artists.
During World War II, young Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) suffers a heartbreaking family tragedy and must move immediately to the countryside — where his father (Takuya Kimura) works for a family making planes for Japan’s military, as Miyazaki’s own father did. Isolated, Mahito begins exploring the mysterious landscapes and encounters a grey heron, persistent in its presence. The boy also happens upon an abandoned tower. Curious, he enters. From there, THE BOY AND THE HERON expands into a wondrous, often-startling phantasmagoria.
Visually, the film shows Miyazaki at the height of his powers, filling the frame with gorgeous compositions, vibrant colour and arresting movement. As it draws you deeper into its mysteries, THE BOY AND THE HERON becomes richer, stranger, and more profoundly beautiful. This is a singular, transformative experience in film, and not to be missed. (Synopsis from the Toronto International Film Festival)
“No one needed further proof that he’s a master. This meditation on grief and growing up does solidify the position, however, that Miyazaki remains the greatest living animator today, period.” —David Fear, Rolling Stone “If this is indeed his final film — this time for real — what a way for Miyazaki to launch into retirement, with a swan song so personal, artful and ultimately timeless.” —Tomris Laffly, The Wrap “What Studio Ghibli does is world-building of the highest order… No one has the ability to distill elemental truths into vividly rendered moving paintings like Miyazaki. How fortunate it is to be around now that animation’s greatest alchemist has gifted us his most personal spell yet.” —Carlos Aguilar, The Wrap “The most astonishing-looking film the studio has yet made… THE BOY AND THE HERON is a glorious testament to everything that makes Miyazaki Miyazaki.” —Barry Levitt, Daily Beast
