Studio Ghibli is a renowned Japanese animation studio founded by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. It’s mostly known for their animated movies, such as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. The Boy and the Heron directed by Hayao Miyazazki was released on December 8, 2023 and spans about 2 hours. The plot of the movie is about a young boy and his adventure with responsibility,  grief, and family, who enters into another realm. Mahito Maki is a 12-year-old boy who has recently moved into a new town with his father and new stepmother. While struggling  to handle his grief from his mother’s death, Mahito encounters an unusual talking grey heron who informs him that his mother is still alive. Conflicted with this new information he enters an abandoned tower in order to search for her. This leads to him traveling to another world. 

“The Boy and the Heron" is a semi-autobiography that is inspired by Hayoa Miyazaki’s past and present. Mahito’s life is like a parallel to Miyazaki’s own life. They both had to flee to the countryside of Tokyo because of World War II. Mahhito’s father is a warplane mechanic just like Miyazaki’s father who is a former warplane mechanic. Miyazaki almost lost his mother to tuberculosis at a young age, which is similar to how Mahito lost his mother. It’s important for a creator and its creation to have a personal connection, it makes the film more unique. 

The movie includes hand drawn animation known as “cell animation”, which is Studio Ghibli's signature style that they use in all their movies. All of the frames are beautiful in their own way, and invokes an emotional aspect towards the movie with a perfect balance. None of the scenes feel dull or lifeless, they are full of colorful conflicted emotions. 

 People have speculated this would be Miyazaki's last film before retiring however, he has said that he will continue making movies. He has backtracked on multiple retirements throughout the years. Announcing his retirement three separate times, in 1997, 2001, and 2013. In an interview with BBC, the movie’s animation director Takeshi Honda stated “At first, I could sense that he wanted this to be his final project,”... “But I could sense time and again that he’s not finished, that there are other things that he wants to do.” The vice president of Studio Ghibli, Junichi Nishioka, has also stated that Miyazaki continues to regularly come into the office to work on another film, “He is currently working on ideas for a new film. He comes into his office every day and does that. This time, he’s not going to announce his retirement at all. He’s continuing working just as he has always done.” Miyazaki will continue on making timeless films again and again.

The title “The Boy and the Heron” is not the actual title of the film, in Japanese it is best translated as “How do you live?” The Boy and the Heron is known as a coming of age story, but underneath that, the film is really about how Mahito lived, and how will you choose to live your life as well.

Citations:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-boy-and-the-heron-miyazaki-last-film-180983419/

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/hayao-miyazaki-82-already-working-on-new-film-after-the-boy-and-the-heron-says-studio- ghibli#:~:text=Mr%20Nishioka%20says%20that%20contrary,calling%20it%20quits%20just%20ye