The Boy and the Heron

Community Rating

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writer: Hayao Miyazaki

Stars: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasaki, Aimyon

Runtime: 2h 4m

MPAA: PG-13

Released: December 8, 2023

After a decade without a feature film, Hayao Miyazaki has come back strong with The Boy and the Heron. The latest film from the writer and director is said to possibly to be his final work. If that proves to be the case then he’ll hang it up with yet another strong effort.

The Boy and the Heron is about Mahito, a child who moves with his father after his mother’s death during World War II. There he lives with his aunt, now step-mother and several maids living there. It is here, while struggling to settle in, that strange occurrences begin to happen around Mahito. The strangest among them involving a bizarre gray heron. What follows is a quest of life and death for Mahito as he wishes to somehow save his mother.

Where The Boy and the Heron is the most grand is in its animation. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have managed to surpass the already high bar they have set for themselves. The animation team should feel great pride in creating such a beautiful film. Great care has been put into each frame on screen. As the story progresses the film only gets more stunning. By the end there were a multitude of shots throughout the runtime that could be captured as stills to make beautiful art pieces.

Also excellent is the soundtrack. Joe Hisaishi has once again created piano led pieces that progress delicately through their movements. Each track feels deeply sincere in their exploration of melancholy and hope. Of particular note is “炎の少女” translated “Girl of the Flame”. The track, also heard in the trailer, is beautifully haunting without being scary. It is in fact quite hopeful, and is played during a couple of the most epic moments of the film.

This stellar presentation features a touching story from Hayao Miyazaki. It starts a bit slow but picks up steam as it moves. By the second act things really begin to pick up and get interesting. Interestingly the most emotional moments come in this middle act, just as the film answers some questions for the audience that help bring the overall story into better focus. It is here we also meet the warawaras, who are delightfully cute creatures with an impactful twist.

Overall the plot of The Boy and the Heron works with a structure that will be familiar to fans of Miyazaki’s work. Symbolism abounds along Mahito’s journey. Questions of what certain things mean persist after the film is over, though the main plot points are closed well for the most part. In contrast to the build up of the first act, the ending of the film hits rather quickly. Credits begin to roll nearly immediately after the climax of the film. This abruptness may be slightly disappointing to those who are engrossed with the story.

The voice acting throughout is also solid. Masaki Suda is excellent as the mysterious Heron. Lady Himi is well voiced by Aimyon, providing excellent strength to the character. Soma Santoki does well as the lead character of Mahito, though the character can be a bit stiff at times. This clearly seems to have been Miyazaki’s intention. However the reserved nature of Mahito can leave him feeling distant and cold, especially early on. This can make it take a bit longer to latch onto the character fully.

Hayao Miyazaki has created yet another great film with The Boy and the Heron. Incredibly gorgeous visuals combine with a beautiful score to present a plot that can be quite emotional at times. Though it may take a little while to fully bring the audience on board, once it does the film is quite successful in what it wants to do.

★★★★☆