Hayao Miyazaki actually wanted to say goodbye to the cinema with As the Wind Rises, which was released in 2013. He is known Japanese director for anime masterpieces like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Over a decade later we can say: Fortunately, he didn’t keep his word.
New fantasy adventure in the cinema: The Boy and the Heron by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki
Miyazaki’s new film opens in cinemas on Thursday. The Boy and the Heron tells an imaginative story set in a time long past. The story is in Japan in 1943 Settled while the Pacific War causes fear and terror. Fire and flames dominate the first images of the film.
However, Tokyo, which was hit by aerial bombs, is only the beginning of a long journey that takes us to completely different places. Several years after losing his mother in an air raid on Tokyo, young Mahito finds himself in the presence of one talking gray heron again, who takes him into a parallel world.
You can watch the trailer for The Boy and the Heron here:
The Boy and the Heron – Trailer (German) HD
As is often the case with Miyazaki, his latest directorial work fuses historical facts with fantastic elements. The Boy and the Heron is a fantasy adventure whose emotional core is closely related to the traumatic events of the war. Miyazaki also draws on his own biography.
A talking heron and carnivorous parakeets provide the first fantasy highlight of 2024
The Boy and the Heron therefore has many levels that can be interpreted in different ways. What is particularly impressive is how often and elegantly Miyazaki tells the story the tone changes. A moment ago there was a playful film full of bright colors, then suddenly we find ourselves moving through a feverish nightmare.
The talking heron is just one of many unruly fantasy characters that Mahito encounters on his odyssey. A special highlight is a horde of friendly-looking parakeets hide dark truth: They are flesh-eating monsters. They hide knives and hatchets in their fluffy feathers.
The Boy and the Heron has the calm and wisdom of a master. At the same time the film works fresh and curious. The animations amaze in individual moments as wonderful paintings and transform into a dance of movements. This film feels incredibly alive from the first second to the last.
Yes, fortunately Miyazaki changed his mind about retirement. Otherwise we would be poorer for one of the best fantasy films of recent years. After The Boy and the Heron premiered in Japan in July 2023 and was shown at various festivals, it will be released on January 4, 2024 in German cinemas.
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