When legendary director Hayao Miyazaki releases a new movie in theaters, it’s not just anime fans who get excited. His latest work ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is eagerly awaited – also because it is perhaps the last directorial project of the Japanese great, who previously worked with film classics such as ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Princess Mononoke’ and ‘My Neighbor Totoro” enchanted an audience of millions and continues to fascinate new generations of moviegoers today.
Miyazaki’s latest work was released in Japan in July 2023 and was set to hit theaters in the country on January 9. But now it has been announced that we can enjoy the animated film earlier. The new release date for “The Boy and the Heron” is now set for January 4. Anime and film lovers can start the new year with a real cinema highlight.
In his new film, Miyazaki tells the story of Mahito, whose mother was killed in an air raid during World War II. When his father remarries shortly afterwards and moves to the countryside with his family, the boy does not agree. While exploring the new area, Mahito comes across a mysterious tower and a talking heron, who reveal to him that his mother is alive and held captive within the strange structure. And then the sad Mahito enters the tower, where a fantastic world awaits him.
Maybe not Miyazaki’s last film?
Ahead of the release of his latest film, Hayao Miyazaki announced that “The Boy and the Heron” would be his final project, as the director had already retired. But even upon completion, it seems like he just can’t live without Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki, now 82 years old, is not enjoying the peace of his last years, but still comes to the office every day to work on ideas for a new film.
Fans should be happy with this news, after all, there is the prospect of a new anime masterpiece. In the meantime, if you want to get in the mood for the theatrical release of “The Boy and the Heron,” just take a look at the film’s English trailer attached below. Here, stars such as Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, their Marvel colleagues Dave Bautista and Gemma Chan, as well as Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Karen Fukuhara and “Star Wars” legend Mark Hamill lend their voices to the characters: