THE BOY AND THE HERON: Hayo Miyazaki’s Masterful Swan Song, Explores Enchanting Fantasies, Harsh Realities, And The Resilience Of The Human Spirit
It begins with an inferno. Air raid alarms wail against the cry of panicked people, fleeing for their lives, abandoning homes and hope. A boy on the precipice between childhood and teenage years awakens in a panic, rushes to dress and, against his father’s wishes, braves the blaze in the streets in an attempt to save his beloved mother, to no avail. Flash forward, that same youth, suddenly thrust into growing up too fast and struggling to come to terms with his fate, is embarking on another life in an elegant, sprawling mansion in the peaceful countryside with his father, new stepmother, and other individuals and experiences that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Thus commences The Boy and the Heron.
The boy is Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki and Luca Padovan in the English dub), who arrives from a torn-apart Tokyo to a rural Japanese town where his cold and formidable father, Shoichi (Takuya Kimura and Christian Bale, in English) is often absent and working. At the same time, his son deals with adjusting to a new life in a vast estate and new community with his fragile, pregnant stepmother Natsuko (who is also his late mother’s younger sister, voiced by Yoshino Kimura and Gemma Chan), being fussed over by a hoard of friendly and quirky busybody grannies, and encountering strange creatures who haunt his dreams and waking life, especially a mischievous grey heron who taunts him.
Feelings of overwhelming grief are teamed with alienation, anger, loneliness and the emotional landscapes of youth. Mahito hurts himself to express the pain and further isolate. He bears the scar as an outward reflection of inner turmoil. The adventure truly begins when the relentless gray “heron man” (Masaki Suda, Robert Pattinson in the English version) lures Mahito into the forbidden zones of the estate with the promise of seeing his mother, trapping and transporting him to another realm where life and death coexist.
In this warped simulacrum universe, legions of power-hungry parakeets dominate, a girl called Lady Himi (AIMYON and Karen Fukuhaka) controls fire, and curious creatures called the Warawara, little souls representing those passed or yet to be born are fed fish guts by a woman named Kiriko (Ko Shibasaki and Florence Pugh), who also protects them from the pelicans who see them as sustenance. With his new friends, the “frienemy” heron man, and adversaries who’d have him for lunch, Mahito delves deeper into the strange world, searching for his mother. He explores its mysteries and meets the elusive Granduncle, a distant relation rumored to have vanished after losing his mind from reading too many books. Granduncle (Shoehei Hino and Mark Hamill in the English dub), who presides over this place and maintains its balance, has wisdom and requests to impart upon his young kinsman.
Out of Retirement: From Struggle to Inspiration to Manifestation
Now widely released in theaters, garnering award nominations and debuting number one at the box office, the highly anticipated animated film was shown at an exclusive preview screening on November 17 at Japan Society, following its sold-out U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival. Japan Society has developed a strong relationship with GKIDS, the distributor responsible for sharing films from Studio Ghibli and other treasures of Japanese animation with U.S. audiences, including Blue Giant, featuring the music of Hiromi, also screened at Japan Society. These special screenings are largely due to the passionate persuasion and long-standing relationships fostered by Peter Tatara, Japan Society Director of Film, who called The Boy and the Heron “Complex and compelling” and proclaimed, “We could not be more proud and humbled to present Miyazaki’s latest film. A deeply personal film, a profound semi-autobiographical fantasy, and it is nothing short of an opus from a master artist pouring himself on screen.” But the film was born from fighting with oneself and finally relenting to the calling of destiny.
The Magical World of Miyazaki’s Mind
Fans of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s vast contributions to exquisite, hand-drawn animation and imaginative, heartfelt stories will recognize elements of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and other favorites that intersect the human and spirit world. There are also echoes of his more serious, challenging works about families enduring the suffering of war, like Grave of the Fireflies. Essentially, The Boy and the Heron is an amalgamation of all Miyazaki-led Studio Ghibli films and something that stands entirely on its own. Like Granduncle, Miyazaki is the creator of these realms and uses his memories, symbologies, imagination, and observations of the world and human nature as his building blocks.
A Deeply Personal Yet Universal and Timely Tale
The film is both historical and deeply personal in a way that will resonate with those who have been through similar experiences. Certain events from Miyazaki’s childhood are depicted in animation for the first time—visions of Japan’s past that still vividly exist in Miyazaki’s memories. This makes me think of my Japanese father-in-law. Born in 1940, he’s a contemporary of Miyazaki and remembers witnessing the war unravel, and the landscape of Japan alter drastically overnight, as observed through the eyes of a five-year-old child. From the Chiba prefecture, in a rural town a couple of hours from Tokyo, he saw his people and culture uprooted. For him, the grounding force was food. His restauranteur family fed the village like royalty when rations were slight. He struggled with anger and resentment toward the American invaders, but as he matured, those feelings were transmuted into a deep desire to share his culture and connect over cuisine. That impetus brought his family to America. Once there, his son, my partner, felt the alienation and isolation as Mahito did in a new community. He, too, transformed those feelings of separateness into a desire to use culture to foster understanding and appreciation. His focus was Japanese anime.What Stories Will Be Told Next?
The horrors of war, violence, and the aftermath remind one of today’s global conflicts and the many individuals, families, entire generations, nations, and cultures affected. There are no winners in war; everyone suffers. A saying attributed to Confucius: “He who seeks revenge digs two graves.” The Boy and the Heron’s animated visions of a decades-old conflict feel painfully contemporary. It’s almost too much to bear at times, but this story is about the ability to face unbelievable circumstances and overcome them, finding strength and community amid chaos. Survivors bear scars and recollections that linger, even if they cannot be seen. Miyazaki is a survivor, and like many in his generation, he still retains vivid memories of wartime Japan. It has shaped who he is, what he does, and the stories he shares with the world. Like many survivors of war, violence, and trauma, his stories are marked with the resilience of the human spirit, a deep longing for connection, bravery, and heroism in the face of extraordinary challenges, and a sense of hope and redemption against all odds. Is The Boy and the Heron okay for kids? That depends. Today’s generation of children are exposed to more death and destruction at a young age from the news and other sources. It’s hard for a protective parent to shield them from that, so they might as well give them a safe space in an enchanting, fanciful setting to explore those difficult themes and life lessons. Psychiatrists recommend teaching empathy to children early on as one of the best ways to avoid narcissism from developing. Perhaps by watching the characters experience intense obstacles and overwhelming feelings, kids will learn to empathize, recognize the power of kindness, bravery and resilience, and understand the ability to grow, gain insights, and feel compassion for others. What will the stories of today’s children who have witnessed the unimaginable be? Will they one day be able to see past the anger, grief, and pain to share timeless, unifying tales of heroic undertakings, overcoming insurmountable odds and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit? How will they build their worlds, stone by stone, free of malice? Who are the next generation of Miyazakis, and how will they inspire us to be kinder to ourselves and others? The Boy and the Heron has been in wide theatrical release in the U.S. since December 8, 2023, in Japanese with English subtitles and in an English dubbed version distributed by GKIDS.Does content like this matter to you?
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