The Boy and the Heron (2023)

• Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

• 124 min

7.4

Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning.

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Casting: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Ôtake, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, Shōhei Hino
Countries: Japan
Premiere: 2023-07-14
Status: Released

Tags: loss of loved one, world war ii, education, coming of age, spirituality, poverty, teenage boy, troubled childhood, semi autobiographical, moving to a city, anime, hand drawn animation, magic world, animation, courage, absurd

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."