Summary
Review of The Boy and The Heron
Famed director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, announced his retirement in 2013, following the release of his film The Wind Rises. Fans were devastated they would never see another Miyazaki masterpiece. Then, The Boy and The Heron was announced.
The Boy and The Heron is a 2023 Japanese animated fantasy film. It was released in the UK on December 26. The film was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.
Plot
The film follows Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki). Following the death of his mother Hisako, he and his father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) relocate to an estate in the countryside. His father remarries his mother’s younger sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura). There, Mahito discovers an abandoned tower in the forest and falls into a fantastical world with a tricky, talking heron (Masaki Suda).
The majority of Studio Ghibli’s films expertly blend the fantastical, the cultural, and the personal. They create a vision of wonder which will leave audiences thinking long after the credits roll. The Boy and The Heron perfectly encapsulates all three, but especially highlights the personal. The film is said to be heavily inspired by Miyazaki’s own childhood. It explores themes of grief, coming of age and how that grief can impact how you view the world around you.
Grief and coming of age
These themes are portrayed beautifully through Mahito. This was an interesting direction for a Miyazaki protagonist. He initially appears considerably more restrained but is only a façade. Mahito is hiding a lot of anger and resentment. He isn’t awestruck by the unexplainable magic surrounding him. Instead, he throws himself at every problem without a second thought, which is oddly refreshing.
Mahito’s grief takes centre stage. All of his actions and behaviours are a response to that grief, the entire first act is an emotional gut-punch for the audience as they watch him struggle with the loss of his mother. It’s no surprise he jumps at the opportunity to rescue her when told by the trickster heron that she might still be alive. However, at times he does appear at little too unfazed by the strange world he has found himself in.
Studio Ghibli films have a reputation of being beautiful works of art and The Boy and The Heron is no exception. The distinctive style of the fire, as Mahito runs through the burning city, is visceral and vibrant. The bright, wonderland-esque design of the fantasy world highlights its strangeness. It contains some genuinely frightening imagery with the creature designs are especially creepy, particularly the heron which guides Mahito through the bizarre world.
Final Thoughts
Often Miyazaki’s worlds tend to feel more self-contained to a single town or forest. However, The Boy and The Heron introduces us to a much larger world. It has over-lapping timelines, an all powerful stone, and a god-like figure watching over it all. Yet all of it relates back to Mahito, to create a absurd yet oddly comforting story of self-discovery.
What first appears as a traditional coming of age story with typical ghiblieqsue fantasy sprinkled throughout, quickly pivots to a fantasy adventure of grand proportions. Providing audiences with a thrilling journey, wonderfully weird creatures and a lot of heart at the centre of it all.
The Boy and The Heron is available to watch now in cinemas.
Featured Image Credit: Studio Ghibli
