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The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron

Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning.

20237.42h 4m

Overview

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Written by Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by Toshio Suzuki
Box OfficeBudget: $50.0MRevenue: $294.2M

Top Cast

Soma Santoki

Soma Santoki

Mahito Maki (voice)

Masaki Suda

Masaki Suda

Gray Heron (voice)

Ko Shibasaki

Ko Shibasaki

Kiriko (voice)

Aimyon

Aimyon

Lady Himi (voice)

Yoshino Kimura

Yoshino Kimura

Natsuko (voice)

Takuya Kimura

Takuya Kimura

Shoichi Maki (voice)

Keiko Takeshita

Keiko Takeshita

Izumi (voice)

Jun Fubuki

Jun Fubuki

Utako (voice)

Sawako Agawa

Sawako Agawa

Eriko (voice)

Karen Takizawa

Karen Takizawa

Warawara (voice)

Themes & Keywords

loss of loved oneworld war iisupernaturaleducationcoming of agespiritualitypovertyteenage boyparallel worldtroubled childhoodsemi autobiographicalbased on myths, legends or folkloremoving to a city1940sanimeimaginativehand drawn animationmagic worldanimationcouragesuspensefulmagical realism

About The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron is a animation, adventure, fantasy, drama, family film released in 2023 exploring themes of loss of loved one, world war ii, supernatural, education, coming of age, spirituality. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it stars Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki. While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

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