Introduction
Hi there, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for yet another adventure, and today, we are welcoming back perhaps the most legendary director of Japanese-based anime movies in history, Hayao Miyazaki, in what could have been his swansong movie, The Boy and the Heron!
Inspired by a book called How Do You Live by Genzaburo Yoshino as well as Miyazaki’s past, The Boy and the Heron is a loose adaptation of that book from Miyazaki’s interpretation, The Boy and Heron focused on a teenage boy entering a magical world with a talking grey heron after finding an abandoned tower in his new town. I say this because that is based on the IMDb synopsis, and I want to keep this as brief as possible in terms of the details, because this is a Studio Ghibli movie directed by Hayao himself.
Just as I was ready to be disappointed that The Boy and the Heron would not be releasing here in Singapore this year, leave it to Singapore-based distributor Encore Films (who was responsible for bringing in Suzume to Singapore theatres early this year) to the rescue as they got the distribution rights to this masterpiece. In addition, this is the very first time I will be watching a Studio Ghibli movie in theatres, something that I had not realised before.
Well then, enough talk, let’s get on with this very special adventure!
Key Information
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Animation Studio: Studio Ghibli
- Country of Origin: Japan
- Rating: PG13
- Release Date: 30 November 2023 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
Given this is a Hayao Miyazaki movie, it is expected that his movies will have layers and layers. In addition, I suspect that most readers of these reviews had not watched this movie, so I will keep it as brief as I can with the plot of this movie. For the same reason, the main image is the only image I will be using for this review and that the trailer I selected is the very first teaser of this movie to avoid spoiling the important points.
With that being said, what I can say is that The Boy and the Heron’s story and themes will be challenging. This story has many themes but the writers at Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki string together those themes together cohesively. Plus, considering that this movie is inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s past, this is without a question his most personal movie yet, and you can feel the level of energy and passion he brings into the movie.
In addition, The Boy and the Heron pays homage to the movies of Studio Ghibli’s past and help to enhance the oddity and fantasy this movie provides, especially with certain scenes that are best left unexplained. It may not have the distinct strengths of his other movies, but The Boy and the Heron felt more like a well-rounded experience that combines the best aspects of Studio Ghibli and shaped them into the movie itself.
The characters are also as well-realised and have as much depth as the story itself. While I will not go deep into the characters since they have their own spoiler moments, all I can say is that there is a lot of complexity in these characters but are still relatable to the audience, which is fantastic.
Even for someone that is seeing a Studio Ghibli movie for the first time, I loved such a vastly unique experience compared to other animated movies from this year. I know, not a lot of animation studios can top Studio Ghibli, but then again, who would want to top Studio Ghibli if they can still be consistently even after so many years of producing animation masterpieces?
Animation
Of course, with Studio Ghibli, executing near-perfect animation is part and parcel in their job, and this one is no different.
The Boy and the Heron has originality, restraint and of course, creativity when it comes to their visuals, and it is to no surprise why after all these years, Miyazaki still insists on hand-drawn 2D animation, even as if most studios had transitioned to CG animation. Miyazaki and his team put in as much painstaking detail to its characters and backgrounds to the best of their abilities, resulting in some of the most unique visuals of the year so far. This is not to mention the uniqueness in some of the character designs and its fantasy elements, which makes this movie a one of a kind.
More importantly, there is still a touch of Miyazaki in the animation that is hard to ignore. Certain scenes had such perfect movement that it felt Miyazaki had put a spell in the animation to make certain moments pop out. Background animation felt like beautiful paintings at time, birds fly at majestic speed and grace and the rough hand-drawn designs add to the uniqueness of this movie, especially compared to other animated movies of this year.
Seriously, this is why after all these years, hand-drawn 2D animation has an edge over 3D computer-generated animation. It is easier to incorporate one’s style into 2D animation more so than 3D animation, which would be why Miyazaki is personally against 3D computer-generated animation and stood his ground in supporting his beloved animation style. Personally, I simply adored the animation.
Soundtrack, Other Elements and Level of Enjoyment
Studio Ghibli’s musical scores are usually free of mainstream pop nonsense, filled with soothing piano and orchestral pieces that enhance the movie’s atmosphere. Here, the score accentuates the feelings of the scenes each score track is playing, further enhancing the overall experience that can be tough to replicate outside of a movie theatre.
It is more than just the score that helps to round up the experience, but also the sound mixing. This movie has quieter moments that heightened the moviegoer’s senses, especially with the non-dialogue scenes. This is in stark contrast to some movies where there is a lot of chaotic scenes that take the viewer out of the experience at times.
As for my level of enjoyment, I was just embracing whatever Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli crew threw at me, but even I was left speechless as I left the theatre after this screening. It honestly requires me to take some time to think about what I witnessed in this movie, which can be a good thing. Having scenes to be left to the viewer’s imagination makes this experience so much fun.
Conclusion
In deciding on what I thought of The Boy and the Heron overall, I had to ask myself one important question: how much does this movie move me? The answer: Yes, this movie moved me in more ways than one.
To say that this movie is a masterpiece understates how important this movie is to not just Hayao Miyazaki or his beloved Studio Ghibli, but for the theatrical animation scene as a whole. It not only solidifies Miyazaki’s status as one of the greatest animated movie directors of all time, but also Studio Ghibli as one of the most important non-mainstream animation studios out there. The story is bonkers but thought-provoking, full of characters with charm and development, phenomenal animation full of unique character designs and creative animation, one of the best non-musical scores for any animated movie this year and is virtually trope-less. What more do you want from one of the greatest animation auteurs of this generation?
Thank you so much for reading this review. We are at the final stretch of the animated movies for 2023, so tune in to the final 2023 Animated Movies Rundown where I will cover the final four animated movies of 2023. I will see you in the next and final adventure of 2023, and until then, k thanks bye!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Movie Rating
