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After one whole decade of the world living without Hayao Miyazaki making new content, he’s finally come out of his retirement to pursue his passion for animation by releasing “The Boy and the Heron,” a movie no one was prepared for this 2023.
Miyazaki’s animation studio called “Studio Ghibli” is famous for its spirited and emotional films that have achieved various nominations and trophies from award shows both national and international. Despite Ghibli films having a simple 2D animation style along with its characters that look like something from a child’s imagination, the beauty that people see in these films are the plot which presents a more poetic way of living through life, which a lot of people find a connection to.
I thought the downfall of Studio Ghibli was near after they released “Earwig and The Witch” because of the movie’s lack of purpose, and the fact that this was their first time trying out 3D animation and their second time making a movie without Miyazaki. Thankfully, Miyazaki somehow got the motivation to get up from his rocking chair to make another emotionally moving masterpiece, continuing his poetic storytelling.
Despite rumors spreading that this may be Miyazaki’s last movie, I wouldn’t be much disappointed since he left us with such a life-changing film that I would spend thousands of dollars on just to watch it over and over again if I had the money. Plus, the fact that this is his first movie after a decade of not drawing is quite impressive since he managed to come back better than before with a film that surpassed the brilliance of his last one.
Since this is said to be his final movie, “The Boy and the Heron” is a more personal piece to Hayao Miyazaki since it reflects his own childhood during World War II. Bits and pieces of Miyazaki’s life were carefully stitched in these scenes behind metaphors and symbolisms, which is rarely seen in his past movies as he was always a man who brushes off his problems.
“The Boy and the Heron” features a 12-year-old boy who lived in Japan during World War II named Mahito. The movie begins with him being woken up to the alarming sounds of a hospital burning, where his mother was. Losing his mother has a depressing impact on his life as he gains flashbacks from the event throughout the movie. A heron after the war ended, Mahito and his father moved into a mansion in the middle of the forest with Mahito’s new stepmother. During his stay, an odd heron kept following him and taunted him every moment it could.
One morning, Mahito’s stepmother drifts off into the deep depths of the woods. As he follows her, he finds a huge tower that is somehow related to his family’s history.
As the tower leads him to an unforgettable adventure, he learns the lesson he needs the most: letting go.
As this movie is a little more emotional than the other Ghibli films, the audience felt more emotional of the events that occurred in the movie. While it is emotional, the movie was quite suspenseful too as I saw a bunch of people on the edge of their seats and it all collectively took us a while to comprehend what we’ve witnessed as we were all in awe.
The future of Studio Ghibli is unknown, but as for now, I can definitely say that its films—especially “The Boy and the Heron,” is a movie that has been called a masterpiece for centuries.
