Film Review: The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in a decade, is both his most personal and the most ambitious in his venerated catalog. Delving into the historical fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi genres—those most familiar to Studio Ghibli—the director also adds a new element that’s erupted onto the landscape of anime and other feature films since The Wind Rises: time. The result is one of the most visually creative animated movies ever made, and Studio Ghibli’s best film in years.

The story begins during WWII. One night, as Tokyo is firebombed, the hospital in which young Mahito’s mother has been admitted is burned to the ground. Later, Mahito moves with his intrepid father to the countryside, where he’ll now live with his stepmother Natsuko, who also happens to be his mom’s younger sister. A responsible, obedient boy, Mahito puts on a good face but struggles to accept his new “mother,” as kind as she is, and adapt to his new school environment, leading to an unusually violent incident.

More unusual than his circumstances, however, are the grounds on which Mahito now lives. On their grand estate stands a largely inaccessible tower of mysterious origin, and on this property also lives a mysterious blue heron who seems to be calling to Mahito, drawing him by recalling his deceased mother. These two mysteries will lead Mahito on a grand adventure that’s as fantastic as it is personal.

The Boy and the Heron is among Miyazaki’s most serious works. He recalls a difficult time in Japan and is inspired, in part, by his own biography. Mahito’s journey is a painful one as well; he feels guilty about his mother’s death and it appears that he hasn’t properly grieved for her by the time he moves in with his new step-mother.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t whimsy in the piece; this is Studio Ghibli, after all. In fact, The Boy and Heron brings to mind Miyazaki’s most inventive tales, which were also original stories (or based on his own works): Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Incredible landscapes, odd personalities, and memorable characters of unusual composition abound in this film, which I found to be his most visually creative. The titular heron reveals a most interesting design when showing the “human side” of nature, the Warawara are among the cutest creatures Miyazaki has ever designed, the old grannies are hilarious, and the parakeets—the parakeets! They had the audience I viewed the movie with laughing at their every move.

The scenery is as sumptuous as the character designs, balancing Japanese architecture with Western-style cottages, highlighting both historical designs and fantasy ones, and featuring gardens, canyons, seas, and forests. Miyazaki spent three years making this film, and it shows. Miyazaki also learned new tricks when it comes to animation; there’s more dynamic movement in this film than in past ones, and in the inferno scenes, you’ll feel the fire coming at you. The master continues to hone his craft, even at the age of 83.

The story itself is lovely. Miyazaki loves to blend subtle and major moments that lead to transformation in his lead character, and the same happens here with Mahito. The use of time, perhaps ironically influenced by Miyazaki-admirer Makoto Shinkai (though Miyazaki would certainly never admit it), helps a rather complicated story (by Ghibli measures) come together.

That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect film, however. Some of Miyazaki’s past flaws are present again in this movie, including abrupt transitions and endings, and contrivances that don’t always fall neatly under the category of “it’s a children’s fantasy, so it’s okay!” The movie is two hours long, which is already a bit much, but Miyazaki still can’t quite tell his story completely; he needed to better establish character relationships (Mahito’s interactions with Natsuko don’t hit quite as emotionally as they should) and make stronger connections in the story to avoid the contrivances I mentioned.

But these are ultimately small concerns. They are overwhelmed by the positive features of the film, including another magical score by Joe Hisaishi, this one filled with lonely and sometimes haunting melodies. Also wondrous are the voice acting performances in the dub version I viewed; standouts included Robert Pattinson, who was marvelous in creating a voice that suited the heron’s peculiar personality well while managing to imbue it with humanity, and Florence Pugh, who employed both a young woman’s voice and an elderly one in two standout performances. The dub matches the outstanding quality of the Studio Ghibli ones of old when Disney recorded them. Truly marvelous work by the GKIDS English-language produce and the all-star vocal cast!

Indeed, The Boy and the Heron is a triumph in virtually every way, further evidence that Miyazaki is animation’s greatest director. With this movie, we’re no longer thinking back to the man who once created the anime’s best films, but to the one who, in an era where Shinkai and Hosoda (rightly) rule, still creates the best anime films. Unfortunately, the quality of Studio Ghibli films has declined and, in the decade since Miyazaki last made a movie, the company has largely lost its way. But The Boy and the Heron reminds us that they still have wonderful stories to tell, incredible characters to create, and many a heart to fill with tales of imagination, beauty, and warmth. Let’s hope that The Boy and the Heron is the beginning of a Renaissance at Studio Ghibli and that, if we’re especially lucky, we’ll be graced by another Miyazaki film in the future. After all, the master has proved once again—he’s still got it.

The Boy and the Heron is currently playing in theaters.

Twwk
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