Summary
- The Boy and the Heron, a new Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, has received overwhelming critical acclaim.
- The movie follows Mahito, a young boy who embarks on a journey through an abandoned tower and discovers a new world after being informed by a talking heron that his mother is still alive.
- While initially thought to be Miyazaki’s final film, it has since been revealed that The Boy and the Heron may not be his last.
A new trailer for The Boy and the Heron further teases Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Released via X (formerly known as Twitter), the latest footage from the critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli film comes with a side of posters, as global audiences eagerly await the release of The Boy and the Heron later this year. Check out the new trailer and posters for The Boy and the Heron below:
Alongside the new trailers and posters for The Boy and the Heron, you can also read the official synopsis for the movie below:
“Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.”
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli, The Boy and the Heron features the voices of Soma Santoki (The Days), Masaki Suda (Wilderness: Part One), Ko Shibasaki (Battle Royale), Aimyon (Crayon Shin-chan: Honeymoon Hurricane – The Lost Hiroshi), Yoshino Kimura (Confessions), Takuya Kimura (2046), Karou Kobayashi (Tales from Earthsea), and Shinobu Otake (Mary and the Witch’s Flower).
Studio Ghibli Studio Ghibli
RELATED: Studio Ghibli: How Everything Miyazaki Did Led to The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron Has Been Met With Critical Acclaim
Studio Ghibli
The response to The Boy and the Heron has been overwhelmingly positive since the movie was shown to critics, and currently sits at a near-perfect 98% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. MovieWeb’s own Ashley Hajimirsadeghi heaped praise on The Boy and the Heron, describing it as “a Special Brand of Magic.”
“Overall, The Boy and the Heron is a delight to watch, bringing back classic memories of Studio Ghibli. Whether it’s the man-eating parakeets wielding cleavers, ready to chop Mahito up into a stew for that night’s dinner, or how he has to learn to carve a fish, there are so many great moments in this film that will definitely cause many to laugh out loud from the absurdity of it al or just the strangeness of the situation Mahito has found himself in next.”
While The Boy and the Heron was initially thought to be the final film from renowned director Hayao Miyazaki, it has since been revealed that this is unlikely to be the case. Still, should it be his last hurrah, Ashley Hajimirsadeghi feels that it’s a worthy one.
“Whether this is or isn’t Miyazaki’s final movie—and he might not be sure of the answer to that himself in the time of writing this—The Boy and the Heron certainly is a good watch throughout its two-hour running time. It’s another triumphant release from Miyazaki, and it also feels more mature, coming from a man who’s had many years of practice and thought under his belt.”
The Boy and the Heron had its international premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival back in September and is the first animated film in history to open the event. The Boy and the Heron is scheduled for release on December 8, 2023.
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