The Boy and the Heron: The movie explained

“The Boy and the Heron” is a Japanese anime film. It was released in German cinemas in January 2024. This is what the movie is about

The boy and the heron: this is the story behind it

The film was released in Japan on 14.07.2023. The special feature was that there was no in-depth advertising for it. Only a poster showing the gray heron from the film indicated the film’s release. The premiere in Germany took place on 04.01.2024 and was just as successful as in Japan. This is what the anime movie is about.

• The film is set in 1943 during the war in the Pacific. Twelve-year-old Mahito’s mother is killed and his father marries his younger sister, who soon becomes pregnant.

• The small family flees to an estate in a rural area, but Mahito finds the new situation difficult to cope with. A strange gray heron that lives here shows the boy a tower in the forest. This is where his mother is said to live.

• Later, Mahito’s stepmother also disappears. She is also said to be staying in the tower. The boy goes inside with an old lady and is deceived by the gray heron. A magician transports Mahito and Kiriko, the lady of the house, to a magical world and orders the gray heron to help the two of them in their search.

• In the magical world, Mahito, Kiriko and the gray heron experience a series of adventures. The boy meets his great-granduncle, who is responsible for this other world, and offers to succeed him. Whether Mahito will find his stepmother and the boy will lead a normal life again – it’s best to see for yourself at the movies.

The special features of the movie

In addition to the sparse advertising in Japan, this movie has a number of other special features.

• Despite the lack of advertising, “The Boy and the Heron” was a huge success in Japan and grossed the incredible sum of 13.2 million US dollars.

• It took director Hayao Miyazaki seven years to complete the film. He was 82 years old at the time of its release.

• The film is based on a young adult novel from 1937. After the film was announced, the book sold unusually well and was even translated into English.

• “The Boy and the Grey Heron” celebrated worldwide success and received several awards: the 2024 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Film, a nomination from the 2024 Annie Awards for Best Film Music and the 2023 Florida Film Critics’ Circle Award for Best Film of the Year and Best Animated Film of the Year.