PG-13
Animation
Fantasy
Drama
The Boy and the Heron
Release14 July 2023
Runtime2h 4m
Budget$50,000,000
Views5
DirectorHayao Miyazaki
ProducersToshio Suzuki
74%
FlickFinders score
A moving fantasy worth discovering
Key highlights — Directed by legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki and produced by longtime collaborator Toshio Suzuki, this 2023 fantasy drama blends wartime grief with a surreal, ever-shifting world. The Japanese voice cast includes Soma Santoki as Mahito, Masaki Suda as the Gray Heron, and singer Aimyon as Lady Himi. Backed by a $50 million budget, it carries a distinct emotional and visual ambition across its 2h 4m runtime.
Overview
Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (2023) follows grieving teen Mahito into a strange fantasy world guided by a mysterious gray heron. A haunting animated drama.
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Top Cast
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Soma Santoki Mahito Maki (voice) -
Masaki Suda Gray Heron (voice) -
Ko Shibasaki Kiriko (voice) -
Aimyon Lady Himi (voice) -
Yoshino Kimura Natsuko (voice)
Why Watch
If you love richly imagined animation with deep emotional undercurrents, this coming-of-age fantasy about loss, family, and self-discovery delivers. Mahito's journey through a bewildering new world, prodded by a persistent talking heron, makes for a story that's as strange as it is heartfelt.
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Fun Fact
The film's tagline, "Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning," reflects its central theme of grief giving way to renewal, as young Mahito comes to terms with his mother's death.
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