The Boy and the Heron
2023AnimeJapanese124 minBRYME editorial score 9/10
A boy, a grey heron that talks, and a tower that leads to the land of the dead. Miyazaki returns.
Official trailer on YouTube · GKIDS Films · link verified 16 September 2026.
The story
Hayao Miyazaki's final film (he keeps retiring). A boy in wartime Japan follows a strange heron into a magical tower and a world between life and death. Loosely inspired by Miyazaki's own childhood.
Details the desk keeps
- It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2024 — Miyazaki's second.
- The film took seven years to make, with Ghibli drawing by hand as always.
- The grey heron was inspired by a real bird that visited Miyazaki's studio.
- It is Miyazaki's most personal film — based on his wartime childhood.
Where to search
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