Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. Voiced by: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura and Takuya Kimura.
The Boy and the Heron opens with an absolutely incredible piece of animation which blurs the lines between familiar Studio Ghibli style and something a little different. The way that it moves so perfectly captures the passage of time and the quality of a memory, it’s weaved together in an artistic, touching fashion. Ultimately, that’s the key thing when talking about a Hayao Miyazaki film, the animation is head and shoulders above most that you’ll find and that’s now been the case for decades.
It’s endlessly colourful, charming and filled with an infectious vivacity, you can’t help but be drawn in by it. It’s joyfully entertaining to watch its movements and the flow of its energy, partially because the style feels like a highlight reel of Miyazaki, there’s countless references to his previous films. It’s a benefit and a disadvantage, it’s lovely for those who adore his work but then at the same time it doesn’t feel like we’re getting an entirely new story. It’s also not a particularly strong one, there are a few odd choices and the balance between time spent in the real world versus magical one feels uneven. It’s as if it begins to lose its roots, untethering the emotion of the story.
Although, the voice work is wonderful as you’d expect and there are some great characters to be found along the way. Especially, the very typically Miyazaki gaggle of grannies, who are delightfully nosy but unbreakably loyal. There are plenty of genuine laugh out loud moments and the way that it brings wildlife into the mix is a lot of fun. There’s a lot going on while the story isn’t actually progressing that far, so while it isn’t necessarily a satisfying arc, there’s still so much to enjoy.
The Boy and the Heron is yet another delight from Hayao Miyazaki, even if you didn’t enjoy this film, it would be impossible to argue that the animation style isn’t stunning. It’s a thousand times better than your average animated film, which means that while it does have thematic issues and unanswered questions, they’re balanced by that high quality. It’s instantly charming, energetic, colourful and filled with big personalities.
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