The Boy and the Heron

Original title: Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka

2023
PG-13
2h 4m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

91K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:21

Anime Fantasy Epic Hand-Drawn Animation Isekai Adventure Animation Drama Fantasy

In the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy ventures into a dreamlike world shared by the living and the dead in search of his missing stepmother.In the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy ventures into a dreamlike world shared by the living and the dead in search of his missing stepmother.In the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy ventures into a dreamlike world shared by the living and the dead in search of his missing stepmother.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

91K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

894

167

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 36 wins & 91 nominations total

Kiriko
(voice)
(as Kou Shibasaki)

Aimyon

Himi
(voice)

Yoshino Kimura

Natsuko
(voice)

Takuya Kimura

Shoichi Maki
(voice)

Keiko Takeshita

Maid #1
(voice)

Jun Fubuki

Maid #2
(voice)

Sawako Agawa

Maid #3
(voice)

Karen Takizawa

Wara Wara
(voice)

Shinobu Ôtake

Maid #4
(voice)

Jun Kunimura

The Parakeet King
(voice)

Kaoru Kobayashi

Old Pelican
(voice)

Shôhei Hino

Great-Uncle
(voice)

Nami Uehara

Additional Voice
(voice)

Kiyoko Nishimura

Additional Voice
(voice)

Ryûnosuke Watanuki

Additional Voice
(voice)

Takuya Yagyu

Additional Voice
(voice)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In December 2019, the film was announced to be 15% complete after three-and-a-half years of work. Producer Toshio Suzuki explained that Hayao Miyazaki, in the past, would be able to direct seven to ten minutes of animation per month, and they had scheduled five minutes of animation per month or about one hour per year on the film. However, Miyazaki was directing only about one minute of animation per month.

Goofs
When a knife is being honed on a steel the knife blade is facing up, it should be facing down. Whilst you can hone in either direction, up the steel away from you, or down the steel towards you, the blade should be facing towards the handle of the steel.

Quotes
The Grey Heron: I'll be your guide.

Connections
Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: End of the Year Embarrassments (2020)

Soundtracks
Chikyûgi (Spinning Globe)
Performed by Kenshi Yonezu
Courtesy of Sony Music Labels Inc

User reviews400

Featured review

8/10

Visual pleasing, Imaginative world, Very complex story.

If you have never watched a Hayao Miyazaki film, I wouldn't recommend starting with The Boy and the Heron.

For an introduction I'd recommend to start with Spirited Away (2001) and Princess Mononoke (1997).

If you become amused and the films resonate with you. Then you will enjoy The Boy and Heron. It isn't the strongest of Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli films but a very good addition to their filmography.

The film begins with a slow pace of mostly visually defining the world, characters and their dilemmas. As the movie progresses you see touches of another realm. Before you know it, it becomes a full-blown feverish dream of Hayao Miyazaki imagination and story telling. It eventually comes all together back on its feet at the end.

Was it fun and visually pleasing? Yes.

Was I confused at times And had a lot of unanswered question? Also yes.