The Boy and the Heron 2023

Release date

07/14/2023

Directors

Kazuyoshi Katayama, Hayao Miyazaki

Writers

Hayao Miyazaki

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."

loss of loved one world war ii education coming of age spirituality poverty teenage boy parallel world troubled childhood semi autobiographical based on myths legends or folklore moving to a city 1940s anime imaginative hand drawn animation magic world animation courage suspenseful magical realism heron