When The Wind Rises arrived early in 2014, the was rather bittersweet since Director Hayao Miyazaki had not only announced he was retiring, but he was also shutting down the production arm of the legendary Studio Ghibli. If you’ve seen the documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, the man just couldn’t deal with retirement. He was an artist. He couldn’t sit at home and do nothing all day. He wanted to animate. He learned CGI animation to create a short film. This project made him realize that he had at least one more traditional feature film in him. He announced in 2017 that he was reviving Studio Ghibli and creating a movie initially called How Do You Live. He thought he could have it ready by 2020. For various reasons including the pandemic, the movie now retitled The Boy And The Heron was finally released in the summer of 2023. There was a lot of anticipation for the film. Could this comeback movie live up to his legacy that including Ponyo and Spirited Away? The Boy And The Heron proved to be a box office hit in Japan and America. Miyazaki won his second Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This was a glorious comeback.
Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki/Luca Padovan) wakes up in the middle of the night to discover his section of Tokyo has been bombed during World War II. He races downtown to get to his mother in the hospital, but the place is an inferno. A year later, his father and him move to the country for a major double surprise. Turns out dad has married his late wife’s sister. They already have a baby on the way. Mahito isn’t sure how to handle all of this at once. While wandering the grounds of his new home, he sees a grey heron flying around the lake. He follows the bird to an abandoned building with a tower that holds a significance to his new mother’s family. When he explores the entrance that’s a bit of a tunnel, he’s pulled out of the place by the old ladies who work on the estate. Eventually he encounters the grey heron (Masaki Suda or Robert Pattinson) at the lake once more. This is more than a normal heron since its beak is full of teeth. The magical creature tells Mahito that he can take the child to see his mother. Ultimately this leads to Mahito pursuing the heron inside the abandoned tower and encountering a supernatural world. Will he really be reunited with his mother or is this a trap?
Even a year after seeing The Boy And The Heron at the movie theater, it’s still a beautiful and mystical experience. Miyazaki takes his creativity up another notch with the story of Mahito. There are familiar elements from his previous work, but he elevates them as they intertwine on the screen. The animation feels like he’s also figured out new ways to dazzle on the screen. He’s in his 80s and still pushing animation elements. The scene of Mahito in the burning Tokyo is astonishing. The best part of seeing it all on 4K UHD is once more savoring the details Myazaki and his animation team created. The story is brilliant as his characters get deeper and deeper into the fantastical world and how it relates back to Mahito’s reality. I’m grateful that Miyazaki couldn’t spend his golden years playing shuffleboard or watching reruns of Gunsmoke. He is working on another film right now. The Boy And The Heron is another masterpiece from Myasaki and hopefully not his last.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K UHD picture brings out all the richness of the hand animated film. The Audio is Dolby Atmos in both Japanese and English language casts. The Spanish dub is English 5.1 Dolby Digital. There is an English mix in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Both the Japanese and English voice casts sound great. The good part is you can watch it both ways. The subtitles are in English, Spanish and French.
Blu-ray with the movie and all the bonus features.
Feature-Length Storyboards (123:53) has all the drawings done for the movie with the original audio. This lets you know how the details evolved in the animation process.
Interview with Composer Joe Hisaishi (10:21) has him explain how he wanted to avoid a score that went into how the characters were feeling or plays on the action. He had been working with Miyazaki for decades. He describes what in certain scenes motivated his musical choices.
Interview with Producer Toshio Suzuki (4:43) has him explain the significance of the heron in Miyazaki’s life. The heron also reminds him of someone else. He talks about putting the animation staff back together at Studio Ghibli.
Interview with Supervising Animator Takeshi Honda (19:40) has him talk about how things have evolved since he began work with Miyazaki on Ponyo. We learn the duties of a supervising animator in the process.
Drawing with Takeshi Honda (27:16) has him demonstrate how to create the characters.
“Spinning Globe” Music Video (5:13) includes clips from the movie.
Teasers & Trailers (8:37) includes Introduction Teaser, Teaser 1, Teaser 2, Trailer 1, Trailer 2 (after it won the Oscar) and four 30 Second Spots.
Mini-poster that’s suitable for framing.
Booklet includes Myazaki’s proposal and original timeline for the movie.
GKIDS & Shout! Studios present The Boy And The Heron. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki. Starring Soma Santoki, Luca Padovan, Masaki Suda, Robert Pattinson, Aimyon, Karen Fukuhara, Yoshino Kimura, Gemma Chan, Takuya Kimura, Christian Bale, Shōhei Hino, Mark Hamill, Ko Shibasaki, Florence Pugh, Kaoru Kobayashi, Willem Dafoe, Jun Kunimura & Dave Bautista. Running Time: 124 minutes. Rating: Rated PG-13. Release Date: July 9, 2024.
