The Boy and The Heron was clearly made with Studio Ghibli fans in mind, as it plays like a love letter to fan favorite films from the studio.
Studio Ghibli fans have a lot to be thankful for. With hits like Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away, anime fans have been eating good for years and years because of this well loved and respected studio. Hayao Miyazaki comes out of retirement to write and direct the latest Ghibli film, The Boy and the Heron. This movie very much fits into the Ghibli wheelhouse. It plays like a love letter to fan favorites, sprinkling nods and Easter eggs throughout, while still telling its own story.
Synopsis: Through encounters with his friends and uncle, follows a teenage boy’s psychological development. He enters a magical world with a talking grey heron after finding an abandoned tower in his new town.
Studio Ghibli fanatics, we know what you are thinking after reading that synopsis (and glimpsing at still from the film) — is The Boy and The Heron basically just Spirited Away. The answer to that is yes and no. That is certainly not all this movie is, but it tells a very familiar story.
Here’s the thing, Spirited Away is fantastic. As is the other films that this movie references. So is combining them all to tell a new, yet recognizable, story a bad thing? We say no.
It felt very clear while watching this movie that it is a love letter to the fan favorites that have come from Studio Ghibli. It feels like a personal story of Miyazaki’s, and it is put together beautifully. There are many, I recognize that!, moments, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Because The Boy and The Heron fully embraces Studio Ghibli’s greatest hits, it can feel predictable at times. With a runtime that just barely passes two hours, it is on the longer side — and sometimes you do feel the length. Still, it has enough humor and heart to keep audiences entertained and excited all the way through.
Audiences will be pleased to know the classic 2D hand-drawn Ghibli animation style is back. Earwig and the Witch tried to step out of that comfort zone and do something new and different, but it never felt like a Studio Ghibli film because of that. Earwig had other problems besides that, however, but we are not here to talk about that film.
The Boy and The Heron is a feast for the eyes, with incredible visuals that feel unique and familiar all at the same time. Many of the characters and settings strongly resemble what things that we have seen in other Ghibli films, which can sometimes trick the viewer into thinking they’ve seen this film before.
The story might not be completely unique, but it does offer surprises from time to time. As a love letter to the biggest hits, The Boy and The Heron heavily leans into Spirited Away, while still taking influence from Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
The world building is done well, the storytelling is captivating, and the scenery is stunning. With incredible animation, important life lessons, and a lot of heart — The Boy and The Heron is a gift to Studio Ghibli fans — one we never expected to get.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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About The Boy and The Heron
A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.
There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
The Boy and The Heron comes to theatres nationwide and IMAX December 8.
