The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Director: Hayao Miyazaki Run Time: 134 min. Rating: PG-13 Release Year: 2023
Starring: Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Florence Pugh, Gemma Chan, Karen Fukuhara, Luca Padovan, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe
Country: Japan
Language: English; select screenings in Japanese with English subtitles
Beginning March 22, 2024, presentations of The Boy and the Heron (2023) will feature new bonus content, including an introduction from the film’s composer Joe Hisaishi and a recorded drawing session with supervising animator and character designer Takeshi Honda.
Celebrate the magical worlds of Studio Ghibli, this Spring Season at Gateway Film Center!
See the Ghibli at GFC 2024 lineupAbout the film:
Official Selection, 2023 Toronto Film Festival
The Boy and the Heron (2023) is the latest critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure from the legendary Studio Ghibli. Among other accolades, the film won Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTA Awards.
After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.
“Miyazaki’s latest film stands as a testament to his enduring legacy. It’s a mature, complex masterpiece, weaving together the director’s past, present, and future – a beautiful enigma that promises to be worth the wait.”
—Emma Steen, Time Out
The Film Center will present select screenings of The Boy and the Heron (2023) in Japanese with English subtitles (showtimes will be marked as “subbed”). The Japanese voice cast includes Aimyon, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, Ko Shibasaki, Masaki Suda, Shohei Hino, Soma Santoki, Takuya Kimura, and Yoshino Kimura.
About the filmmaker:
One of Japan’s most distinctive filmmakers, Hayao Miyazaki’s stories consider the conflict between human progress and nature with the existence of the spirit world alongside the mundane. Before founding Studio Ghibli, he worked for various animation studios and crafted his first feature films Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro (1979) and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). With fellow animator and longtime collaborator, Takahata Isao, he launched Studio Ghibli in 1985 and began producing some of most iconic hand-drawn animated films of all time, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013). In 2015, Miyazaki received an honorary Academy Award for his impact on animation and cinema.
The Boy and the Heron (2023) is Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years. The film had its international premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, becoming the first animated film in history to open the festival, and was a runner-up for the TIFF 2023 People’s Choice Award. Produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, the film features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. The theme song for the film “Spinning Globe” was penned and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.
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