The Boy and the Heron review

THE BOY AND THE HERON: 

HAYAO MIYAZAKI BRINGS HIS MAGIC BACK TO CINEMA! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

GKIDS

Mahito and the Heron in The Boy and the Heron

 

            Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle) makes his long overdue return to film in The Boy and the Heron, the new animated feature from Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s first film since 2013’s The Wind Rises which was originally marketed as his last movie and yet here we are. I’m pretty sure I went into my thoughts on Miyazaki as a filmmaker in my Wind Rises review, but I think he is one of the greatest figures not just in animation, but film as a whole and has been behind some of the greatest movies you’ll ever see from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind to Spirited Away. 

            So, you bet I was excited when The Boy and the Heron was announced as his comeback film and that Miyazaki made the bold decision of not having any marketing for it in Japan. While I’m uncertain of where I’d rank it among Miyazaki/Ghibli’s other work, this is a masterful piece of cinema and a reminder of the magic of both Miyazaki and hand-drawn animation. 

            After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito (voiced by newcomer, Luca Padovan) moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to an old tower, home to a mischievous gray heron (voiced by Robert Pattinson-The Twilight Saga, The Lighthouse, The Batman). 

            When Mahito’s new stepmother, Natsuko (voiced by Gemma Chan-Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Eternals, The Creator) disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and 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. 

            The film also features the voices of Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Dark Knight trilogy, Ford v. Ferrari) as Mahito’s father Shoichi, Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Boys) as Lady Himi, Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise, Batman: The Animated Series, Metalocalypse) as Granduncle, Florence Pugh (Little Women (2019), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Oppenheimer) as Kiriko, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Lighthouse, Poor Things) as Noble Pelican, and Dave Bautista (Marvel Cinematic Universe, Blade Runner 2049, Knock at the Cabin) as The Parakeet King. 

            Overall, The Boy and the Heron is a breathtaking cinematic experience and one of the year’s best…and I ain’t just talking animated films. This along with Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are the kinds of movies that make me appreciate film as an art form and not just a form of entertainment. 

            Given that this is a Miyazaki film, the animation is absolutely stunning and really benefits from the big screen. I saw it in IMAX, and it felt like I could reach into the movie and just live in its world with all the attention to detail that goes into the animation and artistry. 

            The story is also very engaging with a lot of thought-provoking themes, most notably the effects of war and accepting the loss of a loved one. Both this and Godzilla Minus One do a fantastic job communicating these real-life themes in a way that makes you feel like you got more than just an entertaining movie from Japan. 

            This is a much slower Miyazaki movie compared to some of his others and will take the time to let the characters breathe or atmosphere sink in amongst the chaos that occurs. Honestly, I wanted to kick back in my seat and relax during the quiet moments, they’re so peaceful. 

            Despite its slow pace, it is also one of Miyazaki’s most surreal films with a lot of bizarre visuals and sequences that are very imaginative and embrace the strange side of the film’s storyline. There’s a sequence involving a bunch of talking fish that was so unusual that I had to check to make sure nobody drugged me before I went into the theater, regardless I love it when movies, especially animated movies go to weird territories. 

            While Mahito may be more of a blank slate, this film has a colorful cast of memorable characters that could go down as new anime character favorites. The Gray Heron is a perfect balance between being genuinely creepy and a lovable doofus and Robert Pattinson gives an almost unrecognizable vocal performance as the character. 

            Lady Himi is also an interesting character as this mysterious girl with magical fire powers who aids Mahito on his journey. Granted, I did piece together who this person actually is before the big reveal, both Himi and Mahito had very charming chemistry. 

            Kiriko is probably my favorite character in the movie, a snarky seafarer woman who befriends Mahito and has a lot of funny banter and witty remarks while also having a good heart. At times, she reminded me of a female Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean except ironically not quite as cartoony as that character. 

            The Boy and the Heron is one of those films that must be seen to be believed, preferably on the big screen. It’s a dazzling animated feature with a captivating story, likable characters, and thought-provoking ideas, it’s Hayao Miyazaki’s long-awaited return to film and it was totally worth the wait.