Title – The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Director – Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) 

Cast – (voices of) Christian Bale, Luca Padovan, Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh

Plot – Adventurous young boy Mahito (Padovan) ends up exploring a fantasy world filled with the living and the dead when he moves to the countryside with his father Shoichi (Bale) following his fathers remarriage in the aftermath of the death of his previous wife and Mahito’s mother. 

“A grey heron once told me that all grey herons are liars. Is that a lie, or is it the truth?”

Review by Eddie on 18/11/2024

Disclaimer – this review is based off the English dub version of the film 

Reported to be famed Japanese animator/filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s last film, the Academy Award winning The Boy and the Heron has many of the staples that have made Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli the famed powerhouse it is today but there’s something amiss here that holds Miyazaki’s undoubtedly very personal feature from becoming a final product that can stand alongside the greats that have come before it. 

Arguably one of Ghibli’s most stunning creations on a visual level, despite its many ugly and dark components, there’s a distinct lacking to be found in a narrative sense here that can’t join all the eye-capturing wonder and fantastical elements together to create an all-round experience that would have moved this watchable and enjoyable enough tale into the classic conversation. 

Unlike heavy hitters such as Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies or Princess Mononoke, Heron struggles to juggle all its many ideas both whimsical and far more serious into one big cohesive package and while there were some behind the scenes aspects of production that played a part in a pivot for the film to turn into something different than originally planned, there’s no real excuse for so much of Heron’s plot to feel so haphazard, underdeveloped or in need of context to get something out of, even if Miyazaki acolytes will adore the many subtext elements found within this tale. 

At it’s core an exploration of young boy Mahito learning to deal with the loss of his mother and adjusting to a new rural life with his father and his new bride, Heron takes a solid 30 – 40 minutes to morph into a much more fanciful adventure of sorts as Mahito gets thrust into a whole new world filled with the living, the dead and some oddly frightening parakites and while all of this provides eye candy everywhere you look, there’s a coldness emotionally to much of the film despite some solid English dub voice work from its name brand cast and the work of composer Joe Hisaishi. 

Enlisting the support of name brand performers such as Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Mark Hamill and Gemma Chan, Heron’s English language version is one of the most successful translations yet in regards to voice acting work with Pattinson and Bale in particular standing out behind the scenes, with their performances showcasing a clearly engaged cast who worked to make Miyazaki’s latest journey one of the companies biggest financial hits yet. 

If this is indeed Miyazaki’s last ever venture behind the camera or in charge of the pencil it’s one that can be regarded with an appreciation rather than an undying adoration, as while Heron is enjoyable to a degree, there’s not enough magic combining all at once to confidently state this is top-tier stuff from either its creator or his studio. 

Final Say – 

For many longstanding fans The Boy and the Heron will provide them with more than enough to claim greatness once more but when examined in solitude and judged accordingly, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest is a beautiful yet unfocussed fantasy with more ideas than memorable outcomes. 

3 budgies out of 5