The king of Japanese animation returns with a masterpiece

It’s been ten years since the release of ‘As the Wind Rises’, Hayao Miyazaki’s last film. It was the pinnacle of animation genius. But the 85-year-old seems unwilling to retire. He founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with three other animators and over time has become a master. In Japan his worship almost borders on the divine.

Miyazaki’s works shine somewhere between the wonderful of Walt Disney and the sophistication of Stanley Kubrick. “The Boy and the Heron” (original title: “Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka”) filled theaters when it was released without any commercials in Japan in July. There was only a mysterious poster hanging on it.

The film is based on a 1937 classic of Japanese literature “How do you live?” by the Japanese writer Genzaburō Yoshino. Miyazaki wrote the script himself and, like his previous film ‘As the Wind Rises’, takes us back to the 1930s. But what initially presents itself as a historical film quickly turns into fantasy and follows in the footsteps of 2001’s Spirited Away.

The story takes place during World War II and follows Mahito, an eleven-year-old boy. His childhood was marked by the loss of his mother, who died after a bomb attack in Tokyo. After this tragic incident, he finds himself with his father in the countryside where his mother grew up. Now that his father has remarried, Mahito tries to adjust to his new life with his stepmother and six older maids.

In the middle of this enormous estate, Mahito meets a strange gray heron who follows him to his room. When he touches the bird, the boy discovers a strange world around him, because just like Alice in Wonderland, a dazzling journey awaits him. This journey begins when his stepmother disappears into the depths of the forest. Mahito is determined to save her.

Your therapist will tell you that there is a little child in all of us, even if we are 82 years old. Hayao Miyazaki once again offers us a glimpse into his dazzling and young-at-heart brain, where memories mingle with folklore.

Each scene is like a painting that relates to the many things that fascinate the author. Each element is brought to life with radiant vitality. The worlds that emerge from Miyazaki’s imagination consist of ghosts, shapeshifters, anthropomorphic animals and small creatures that are as bizarre as they are endearing. The innocence of childhood, the fascination with flying, European culture, the horror of war and the maternal bond are themes that literally haunt the Japanese director’s work. ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a fiery and tender summary of his previous works.

Mayazaki’s films can be of remarkable childlike simplicity, such as “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988), “Kiki’s Little Delivery Service” (1989) or “Ponyo – The Big Adventure by the Sea” (2008). The director also ventured into much more mature works with a philosophical meaning, such as ‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997) or ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ (1984). Despite its childish appearance, which will of course appeal to the littlest ones, ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a much more complex work than it seems.

In this philosophical fairy tale, Miyazaki’s twelfth feature film immerses us in nature that invites the viewer to travel beyond perception. The bird is present throughout the film and expresses the animal ideas that underlie the film. For example, the great blue heron’s grace decreases when it takes human form.

As usual with Miyazaki, Japanese cultural heritage is intertwined with Western references. So this Japanese landscape might as well be ours.

Like Alice, who follows the White Rabbit to Wonderland, Mahito will discover a world, the world of the dead, the world of ghosts or his inner world. The film never expresses this explicitly and probably leaves its interpretation up to the viewer. The film is steeped in countless allusions that invite you to let go and let yourself go, making us feel like spectators in a dream.

The film shows the transition from childhood to adulthood through the loss of the mother. Like any good fairy tale, Mahito’s adventure is marked by trials of courage, courageous deeds and countless new acquaintances.

The film revolves around the mother figure who appears friendly and courageous and is busy keeping the world together. The male figures are predominantly birds, looking grotesque and playful, like the heron, or in the form of anthropomorphic parakeets, acting thoughtlessly under the command of a vain king, and pelicans, degenerated by the depletion of their resources.

In terms of artistic realization, ‘The Boy and the Heron’ remains faithful to the style of the master and guarantees a form of craft cinema that is unfortunately disappearing. The animations are all hand-drawn and the studio worked on them for several years.

The result is breathtaking, with drawings of clockwork precision, a dynamic animation that is beautiful down to the smallest details, such as the tall grass waving in the wind and where each branch seems to be independently animated. The whole thing is of course accompanied by the music of Miyazaki’s favorite composer Joe Hisaishi, who can always be heard in his films.

In the midst of this feast of adventure, which is sometimes almost dizzying, the release that is required of the viewer also means distancing ourselves from emotions. Despite its invitation to accept death and change, “The Boy and the Heron” doesn’t have the emotional power of “Spirited Away” or a powerful message to convey like “Princess Mononoke.” However, it remains a fantastic journey waiting to be revisited to understand all its nuances.

Despite his old age, the director proves with this new, downright masterful film how creative and contemporary he still is. Just like 85-year-old Martin Scorsese with ‘Killers of The Flower Moon’, currently in cinemas, Hayao Miyazaki is proof that there is no age to be a ‘heron’.

“The Boy and the Heron” can be seen in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland from January 1 and lasts approximately two hours.