Studio Ghibli has always been famous for producing many excellent films, The Boy and The Heron (English name: The Boy and The Heron ) may be Ghibli's best film ever.
Mahito character voiced by Soma Santoki
In terms of animation, every scene in The Boy and the Heron is hand-drawn with an outstanding overall composition, making every scene visually impactful. The scene where the young Mahito (voiced by Soma Santoki) runs to the hospital where his mother works that is on fire stands out for its creative use of color and shadow. It is a sight to behold and one of the best scenes ever seen in a Studio Ghibli film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Trailer for the movie The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron is set at the end of World War II, when Japan was going through many great events. Like Hayao Miyazaki's previous works, the film is full of humanity. Mahito and Himi (Aimyon) are two characters with such strong personalities. The film has a duration of 124 minutes, which is enough to explore the different traumas of Mahito and Himi, how they react to grief.
The grey heron (Masaki Suda) serves as a comic relief alongside Mahito while the pelicans, despite their limited screen time, clearly show and emphasize the cruelty of the world Mahito finds himself in.
Mahito and the Grey Heron
The stories are captivating from beginning to end, pulling the audience along with each situation. Miyazaki Hayao explores the path of war that humanity often treads through the character Mahito, creating a truly captivating film. Mahito's journey is the core of the film's questions: How should you live, is war necessary, and will love erase all hatred.
Himi (Aimyon) and Mahito are two characters with strong human characteristics.
The Boy and the Heron is widely rumored to be Hayao Miyazaki's final work and it is a great film to end his career with, one that any Hayao Miyazaki fan should not miss.
However, the film still has some shortcomings. Most of the supporting cast lacks significant development and thus it is difficult to bond with them. The second half of the film is too fast paced, making things like the nature of the afterlife, Mahito's acceptance of Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), the divinity of Mahito's grandfather (Shohei Hino)... all a bit confusing.
Mahito character hand drawing
The Boy and the Heron has grossed $84 million worldwide, including $56 million in its native Japan since its release on July 14, 2023. Before its release, the film caused a stir when it did not reveal any trailer or information, except for a hand-drawn poster of a heron.
On September 7, the film opened the Toronto International Film Festival, marking the first time an animated film and a Japanese film has opened the festival. Afterwards, The Boy and the Heron also attended many other major film festivals such as the New York Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Rome Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival, Barcelona Film Festival... Miyazaki Hayao's work is currently leading the box office in North America and France and won the Best Animated Film award from the New York Film Critics Circle.
On the review site Rotten Tomatoes, The Boy and the Heron received 98% positive reviews from critics, with many compliments for director Miyazaki Hayao. The film opens in Vietnam from December 15.
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