#The Boy and The Heron review

[agentnico]

The Boy and the Heron (2023) Review

Robert Pattinson, is that you??

Plot: Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother's death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.

Seriously though, we need to discuss Robert Pattinson in this movie. He voices the titular heron, and this is Pattinson’s first ever foray into voice acting… and it is a true masterclass. He gives an unrecognisable performance using a raspy, zany voice, and one that you could easily mistake for the other voice actors in the movie like Mark Hamill and Willem Dafoe, to whom such vocal chords come much more naturally. Honestly, you have never heard Pattinson like this before, with the closest sounding performance in his filmography being in the 2020 crime drama The Devil All the Time as the high-pitched preacher, but even then you could mentally connect the voice to the actor. I must give Pattinson all the props in the world - for someone who started out as a sparkling teen-vamp in the Twilight films, he’s really worked hard to break himself out of the shadows of that series and consistently defy expectations and be an acting force to be reckoned with. Now his turn in The Boy and the Heron only justifies this even more, and more importantly should be a signal to other animation studios to give this guy more voice acting roles, as he’s great with those evidently. Like seriously, you can’t even begin to fathom Pattinson’s grows in this film - its something else.

Right, let’s talk about the actual film now! The Boy and the Heron sees the return of the legendary Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki who most know through his projects with animation company Studio Ghibli. The guy’s a legend in the realm of anime, so me and my fiancée were excited to go see it, so we had a full date night planned - we travelled quite the way to get to the cinema that was showing this movie, as the film so far has had a very limited release here in the UK, and we enjoyed a fine meal at the local pub, and yours truly had the pleasure of accompanying the meal with a couple of pints as one should. We then go to buy the tickets and whaddayaknow they have all sold out. Yep, all that travelling and effort to see a film and yet it was not meant to be. Nonetheless, I instead made my way there again today, this time pre-ordering the seat a day in advance as that was a lesson learned. Oh yes, when it comes to a Hayao Miyazaki animation, I am one dedicated son of a bee to see that! Thank heavens I pre-booked that time, as the screening I was in was packed, and as I was in the lobby I overheard other customers trying to purchase tickets for The Boy and the Heron and being turned out. Look, Studio Ghibli has its fan-base, so it’s not surprising so many people want to go see it. It’s surprising though that cinemas aren’t providing enough screens to show it though, but that is a separate distribution matter in itself.

The Boy and the Heron plays out a little like a montage of Best Of, revisiting themes and devices familiar from Miyazaki’s previous films and tying them together with elements that have a clear autobiographical resonance for the director. From the various magical and absurd creatures to the stunning animation to the piano-heavy score by frequent Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi, it’s all the usual Ghibli goodness you know and love. Speaking of the score, the lush orchestral Hisaishi soundtrack is shimmering and exultant, that is filled with innocent beauty, yet also managing to embrace the darker aspects of the narrative. The animation as stated is superb, but I do mean it looks incredible. From the very opening sequence where Mahito is running through the burning streets of Tokyo to find his mother, the dizzying effect of the flames and the people around running in panic and being engulfed in the horrible disaster - that sequence is both beautiful from an artistic standpoint but also frightening as it reminds us of all the damage the Second World War brought to innocent people. But the rest of the film also brims with the spectacular hand-drawn animation Ghibli artists are know for, and I always loved how they managed to balance the whimsical fun elements with the more scarier ones. Speaking of which, after seeing this movie you’re going to have a very different opinion on parakeets. You have been warned.

Now in terms of the negative… the characterisation. A huge part of Ghibli movies in general, and especially those directed by Miyazaki, is that as a rule they are always driven by its characters, with their journeys at the forefront. World building and the narrative always took second place. Major examples of this are Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away, where you had these absolutely crazy fantasy-driven landscapes, yet at the same time the stories were laid back with simplicity and effective means and rules. However with The Boy and the Heron the world building is so convoluted and confusing at times that it seems Miyazaki put all his efforts into fleshing out this narrative instead of giving more time to the main character, who supposedly undergoes a deep emotional journey. However because we are busy being distracted with all the craziness of the world, the journey of the character’s growth is near non-existent, and as such the finale seems very abrupt and unfitting, with the story choices feeling undeserved and unnatural.

The Boy and the Heron is a beautiful animation from an auteur who’s delivered so many greats previously to which this one doesn’t come close to, but even Miyazaki’s mid-level film is most directors’ best. The lack of character building and interpersonal relationship is a heavy hindrance, but aside from that this is an engaging original story featuring a superb music score, great vocals (especially from Pattinson) and also nostalgia that reminds us how great Studio Ghibli truly is. Again, it’s not Miyazaki’s best, but it’s easily one of the best animations in the last few years, and will also make you want to avoid parakeets for good. Don’t make their cute little look fool you - they are sinister little bastards.

Overall score: 7/10

[spotlight-report]

'The Boy and The Heron' Movie Review

The Boy and The Heron was a hugely anticipated film for fans of Studio Ghibli. The surprise release is reportedly Hayao Miyazaki’s farewell to the world of anime after retiring back in 2013. And while this film may not have been the studio’s best, it was certainly a fitting goodbye. The Boy and The Heron, like many in the Ghibliverse, is a semi-autobiographical fantasy story pulled from…

[afabstract]

The Boy and the Heron Review - Dreamy and Disjointed

Mahito moves from Tokyo to the countryside after his widowed father's re-marriage. There, the boy meets a heron who leads him to a magical realm of strange creatures. Read our review of "The Boy and the Heron".

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Even though the teaser for Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” was extremely cryptic, a deliberate ploy to keep viewers intrigued, the glimpses offered held out a promise for an emotional tour de force. The fantasy film follows the adventures of Mahito, a school-going boy who leaves Tokyo with his father to live with his new…

[shonenro]

Tu CUM TRAIESTI? Cel Mai AMBITIOS FILM A LUI HAYAO MIYAZAKI! - The Boy and The Heron REVIEW!

[esichime]

My ★★ review of The Boy and the Heron (2023) on Letterboxd:

[cisikim]

“i’ll be so lucky to have you” is such a beautiful line. himi knowingly returns to a world that is destined to consume her in the fires she holds dear, all because they’re also the very doors that’ll bring mahito into existence.

and that’s the enduring essence of miyazaki’s works: life, through all its suffering and misery, is still worth living. through the people we love and the memories we cherish, we search for and find our reasons to live.

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

The Boy and the Heron How Do You Live? (2023) dir. Hayao Miyazaki

[ivytea]

MOONFISHER'S NOCTURNE • my piece for Nucleus House's annual postcard show. I wanted to convey the joy and disquiet that comes with finding something you've been searching for a long time.

[pricelessreviews]

[yukipri]

The Boy and the Heron, the new Ghibli/Miyazaki movie just released in the US, and I finally saw it for the first time!

I went in with zero spoilers, the way it was intended (before it released in Japan, they didn't even show a single trailer, people went in with no idea what it would be about).

It was beautiful, unusual, fantastical, fascinating, thought-provoking, TRIPPY AF. It was just, different. It felt like Miyazaki breaking free and just telling the story that he wants. It's nothing like most mainstream entertainment nowadays—it was an artistic vision, meant to ask viewers to think, because there is no single clear answer to what it's about, what it's trying to say.

If you can, I strongly recommend going to see it, and see it without spoilers. It's not really like any other Ghibli movie in story, though it shares many things visually. Go into it with an open mind, and just let yourself feel.

[ankle-beez]

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON DECEMBER 14, 2023 AND EDITED ON DECEMBER 15, 2023: originally this was 4 and a half stars, but after thinking about it for a while. Fuck it it's 5 stars. I'm gonna be thinking about this one for a while

[rafaelhr17arts]

- Every Studio Ghibli Movie Ranked -

Just a reminder, this is just my opinion, not an absolute truth!

Decided to make this ranking just for fun, do you agree with my ranking? (probably not lol) Do you think I'm totally wrong and my ranking is garbage? lmao

Let me know, be free to tell what are your opinions on their filmography!

[mioreviews]

The Boy and the Heron

[ Anime / Fantasy Coming of Age ]

Rating: 10/10

I've heard many things about <The Boy and the Heron>, Studio Ghibli's new movie. Lots of "it's confusing". But I honestly thought it was way better than the public seems to be saying. <The Boy and the Heron> is a story about a boy who moves to the countryside after his mother's death and runs into a mysterious heron that brings him to a mysterious world.

Very Studio Ghibli-esque! If you don't know what that means, it's magical from beginning to end! It's mind-blowingly magical with dumb, funny-looking birds (lol) mixed with finding familial love and acceptance.

Amazing, funny yet heart-touching story. Some people say it's confusing, but I honestly thought it was amazing storytelling through metaphors and fantasy elements. I like how the movie doesn't just explain everything for you. It's your job, as the audience, to interpret. Miyazaki is a wonderful storyteller.

Amazing art. The art is absolutely beautiful. I was blown away by it.

As for the cons:

It definitely does not explain everything for the audience. I thought it was interpretable where the public can come to a general consensus on the story's purpose though. But it's definitely up to the public to imagine what the world looked like through the child's eyes. I thought it was a wonderful interpretation of a child's perspective of longing for what they can't have and the adventure they go through to realize it.

The abrupt ending. I thought the ending was strangely abrupt, but it didn't bother me that much.

Overall,

<The Boy and the Heron> was an amazing comeback movie that I highly recommend everyone to watch. It was a great mix of awe, wonder, sorrow, and mystery. It felt way shorter than it actually was because I enjoyed it so much. Every character, main and side, had unique, charming personalities and physical characteristics. Even though I didn't even remember their names (there's so many lol), I could still recognize them easily. I rarely got lost or confused. You have to let the storytelling do work and go where it takes you.

Apparently <The Boy and the Heron> was inspired by real events that happened in Miyazaki's life (pretty much like an autobiography), and I think it made the story feel more realistic because of that. I loved that element. I could see Miyazaki in the boy's happiness and sorrow. The Japanese movie title is translated to <How Do You Live?>, and this movie does just that. It comments on reality vs fantasy, accepting vs avoidance, selfish vs selfless. A round of applause to Studio Ghibli.

[patrickstumphf]

my letterboxd review of the boy and the heron

[namjhyun]

MOVIE REVIEW | The Boy and The Heron (2023)

This is rumored to be Miyazaki's last film, his decision to retire or not is still unclear. Every story he brings to life it's special but if this is truly his last then he goes out like the absolute master of his craft that he has proved to be over and over again through the years.

It took me watching this film twice and some serious thinking before I could even write about it. This is complex story that will required some deep introspection from its viewers. I also recommend watching it in the original japanese language because it goes better with the tone of the story, mind you its original title it is "How do you live?" and you can expect that level of thought process in the storytelling.

The Boy and the Heron is animation in its highest art form. It will challenge you, it won't waste unnecessary time in exposition and it will ask something of you as an audience member. You will connect to this story on a level that you won't realize leaving the movie theater but perhaps will click a few days later because this story doesn't immediately give you all the answers.

I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing about the plot because I trust Studio Ghibli's work and like to be surprised by them, and I got just that when I realized this is perhaps Miyazaki's most personal film to date. If you know something about his personal life, you will find similarities between him and the protagonist, where he lives and his family.

It's clear to me after much thought, that this story is an allegory about the creative process. It could be creation from the point of view of a child building worlds to learn how to let go of grief, an old man trying to hold on to his creation, a young girl challenging time and space to reunite with a loved one, or even small souls floating into space to become creatures in other realm. All of these aspects and other related themes are explored in a narrative that, at times, can feel convoluted and disjointed but you need to trust the process.

Also, I loved the fact this film is entirely hand-drawn and it made me feel nostalgic for this type of art. The animation is stunning, visually astonishing, with a mixture of techniques, that makes each frame a painting I could easily hang on my walls and stare at for hours.

I have a feeling this is the kind of film we will be talking about for many years to come because that's the entire point of the film: it presents you ideas, thoughts and themes so you can go and build your own understanding of the world and life.

Rating: 10/10

[solarpunkpresentspodcast]

I (Ariel) watched The Boy and the Heron, the new Studio Ghibli film, with friends a week ago. When asked about solarpunk stories or aesthetics, people often cite Studio Ghibli films as proto-solarpunk, or solarpunk-adjacent, or inspirational to current solarpunk values. So when I had the chance to see The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki's (purportedly) last film, I was watching it with a small part of my brain taking notes from that angle.

And while the film is a fantasy, I don't think it's solarpunk. Or, not in the traditionally overt way that we've come to expect from Studio Ghibli films But I do think that, at its base, it holds values that are very solarpunk-adjacent. Let me explain.

The review is free to read over on our Patreon; I’d really like you to go take a look!