The Boy and the Heron

PG-13

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2 hr. 4 min.

Fantasy

Adventure

Anime

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97%

252 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

1,000+ Verified Ratings

Audience Score

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family's estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito's new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

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Critics Consensus

Soulfully exploring thought-provoking themes through a beautifully animated lens, The Boy and the Heron is another Miyazaki masterpiece.

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Audience Consensus

Boasting incredible animation and a satisfying story, The Boy and the Heron delivers more of the excellence that Hayao Miyazaki has trained audiences to expect.

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Bill

Elegant if fantastic portrayal of a Japanese familys life with a likable lead character, a boy parallel to Chihiro in Spirited Away. Miyazakis depiction of the Japanese countryside is once again most impressive.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

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Keenan K

The Boy and The Heron is barely a cohesive story. Visually, it's stunning, which is what we've all come to expect from Hayao Miyazaki, but the actual story struggles to link things together. Multiple plot pieces are dropped without regard partway through the film, and character motivations struggle to make sense. The ending is the worst part in my opinion, as the multiple elements established in the magic "dream" world are completely dropped and no one even the movie just ends with no actual resolutions besides "everyone lived happily ever after". Additionally, there's clearly cultural elements being brought in from Japanese culture, but without any explanation to their reason or meaning they're completely lost. The entire film felt like a bunch of original pitch ideas for short stories, and the production just decided to loosely thread them together to make a feature length film. Personally, I felt like a bunch of the elements were just inspired by spirited away OR were originally pitched for spirited away that didn't make it to the final product, and were used here.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

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Jay S

Great film, can be a bit confusing at times but that's just the Ghibli style. Loved it!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/07/24

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Paul

I see why it won an Oscar. Damn great.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

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A-69

The animation and the music are both beautiful. The only drag is that the film itself is too slow.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

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Ryan

This movie was such a refreshing experience that I couldn't have predicted beforehand. It had me sitting in the theater really just in awe and thinking about everything. Amazing movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/25/24

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Hayao Miyazaki

Director

Luca Padovan

Mahito Maki

Christian Bale

Shoichi Maki

Dave Bautista

The Parakeet King

Gemma Chan

Natsuko

Willem Dafoe

Noble Pelican

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The Boy and the Heron: Featurette - Toshio Suzuki on Hayao Miyazaki & the Future of Animation

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The Boy and the Heron: Final Teaser Trailer

1:19

The Boy and the Heron: Trailer 1

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The Boy and the Heron: Teaser Trailer

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The Boy and the Heron: Teaser

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Peter Travers

ABC News

Japanese manga master Hayao Miyazaki, 83, came out of retirement for this hand-drawn beauty about his own life growing up in wartime. The Oscar for best animated feature belongs right here since Miyazaki’s unparalleled artistry shines out of every frame.

Feb 23, 2024

Full Review

Simran Hans

Monocle

I just found it utterly transporting.

Jan 5, 2024

Full Review

Tim Robey

Monocle

Visually, it's about as sumptuous as any of [Studio Ghibli's] films have ever been.

Jan 5, 2024

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Japanese culture and spiritually have always provided a potent well from which Miyazaki draws his filmic inspiration. Boy and the Heron is no different and returns him to the fantastical roots that made Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke such successes.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Jeff Ewing

Humanoids from the Deep Dive Podcast

"The worldbuilding is so beautifully explored, but the resolution by contrast feels a little bit abrupt and rushed... [still] a beautiful ride with a tremendous magical feeling."

Rated: 4/5

Mar 21, 2024

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

Miyazaki's potential swan song returns to grim subtexts in this increasingly strange fantasy about loss, grief, and transitioning into the sorrowful world of adulthood.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 12, 2024

Full Review

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Synopsis

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family's estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito's new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Studio Ghibli, Toho Company, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Nippon Television Network
Rating: PG-13 (Smoking|Bloody Images|Some Violent Content)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 2023, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)