The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Score: A+ (10/10)

Whether it’s your first or twelfth Miyazaki film, The Boy and the Heron is a beautiful experience for all cinema-goers, regardless of age, with its delightful animation, immersive worldbuilding, and soul-stirring storytelling making it one of 2023’s most comforting and moving experiences.

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Studio Ghibli is synonymous with pop culture for being one of the film industry’s most creative and innovative production studios. However, without the works provided by Hayao Miyazaki, the studio wouldn’t be where it is today. From cult classics like My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away–the only non-Western animated film to win an Oscar for best animated feature–Miyazaki knows how to suck people into anything he creates. However, one aspect of Miyazaki’s career is the several iterations of him “retiring” from the industry only to return bigger and stronger than ever. Some say he’s tried doing it for twenty-five-plus years, but such a vastly creative man cannot seem to lay his ideas to rest. In his latest return to the industry, he and Studio Ghibli approached their new film, How Do You Live–or The Boy and the Heron to Western audiences–quite differently from other studios. With this film, Ghibli wanted to give Miyazaki as much time as he needed to ideate his creative vision. The decision was most beneficial, allowing Miyazaki and his production team to create a visual delight and deliver a moving narrative for many to enjoy.

The expanded development time did wonders on several fronts, with the most obvious example being from the film’s animation. Miyazaki’s team beautifully stylizes every frame displayed throughout, allowing the audience to bask in its two-dimensional glory. It also does wonders for the film’s worldbuilding, allowing the movie’s more fantastical elements to shine brightest, and that’s before mentioning the bright and vibrant colors that only deepen the experience for all audiences. The animation benefits from the film’s slower but more methodical moments and lets audiences live in the moment and bask in some of the movie’s softer moments. It allows audiences to get invested in the movie’s immersion before the narrative shifts into high gear.

Speaking of which, the film’s story is a perfect partner to the beautiful animation. The world Miyazaki brings audiences into is vividly diverse and fantastical–the best way to create and build up the worldbuilding displayed throughout. The places visited by the main protagonist, Mahito, have deep meaning to everyone living there, whether good or bad, making audiences understand and connect with the characters and their motives. Imagery is something Miyazaki isn’t afraid of from the get-go in his latest film, using it to establish the conflict residing within Mahito and what he will ultimately fight and conquer by the film’s end. There are clear character arcs from Mahito and all supporting characters. The story’s depth allows for maximum immersion–something many modern-day blockbusters fail to offer.

Studio Ghibli gave Miyazaki as much time as possible to craft a beautifully immersive story from beginning to end, and the public demand for the final product is a testament to the decision. Time is money. However, it’s also an opportunity to refine and improve. Animation isn’t something done in a day. It takes time to craft the level of detail required for all animated features–something even Western studios know all too well from Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse having such a lasting impact on critics and audiences alike. Immersion is a difficult concept to get down the first time, but Miyazaki knows how to do it extraordinarily well. It’s why so many love The Boy and the Heron. The film takes everything he does best and kicks it up a notch visually and narratively.

It may be a late theatrical run in an already massive year for feature films, but it doesn’t make The Boy and The Heron any less of a spectacle. Yes, the film occasionally slows down to let the audience feel like they’re experiencing the story alongside the protagonists. However, it doesn’t make it any less fascinating. If anything, it flips what we know and expect from modern-day films onto its head. The film makes people question whether movies need to be fast-paced instead of letting the film’s world do more of the talking. It’s somewhat strange to let a story breathe, but it pays dividends to the experience audiences get from it–similar to how more production time likely equates to a higher-quality film in all aspects. Whether it’s your first or twelfth Miyazaki film, The Boy and the Heron is a beautiful experience for all cinema-goers, regardless of age, with its delightful animation, immersive worldbuilding, and soul-stirring storytelling making it one of 2023’s most comforting and moving experiences.