The Boy and the Heron
Movie, 2023, The 2020s, Set in A tower and another world
The Boy and the Heron is #25 of 25 in release order and #25 of 25 in chronological order in the Studio Ghibli.
The story
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."
The Boy and the Heron recap
The Boy and the Heron (2023) follows Mahito Maki, a grieving boy who trails a talking heron into a tower and a world below, hoping to find his mother. Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed this film after coming out of retirement; it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. During the Pacific War, Mahito (Soma Santoki) loses his mother in a hospital fire. His father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) marries her younger sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), who is pregnant, and they move to her country estate. A grey heron (Masaki Suda) taunts Mahito, who hits himself with a rock after a fight at school. When Natsuko disappears into the forest, Mahito and the maid Kiriko follow the heron into the tower built by her great-uncle. Below, a young Kiriko and a fire-wielding girl named Himi (Aimyon) guide him past pelicans and man-eating parakeets.
The Boy and the Heron ending explained
The Boy and the Heron ends with the great-uncle, a wizard balancing stone blocks that hold his world together, asking Mahito to take his place. Mahito refuses, pointing to the scar he gave himself as proof of his own malice. The Parakeet King topples the blocks and the world collapses. Himi, revealed as Mahito's mother when young, returns to her own time knowing her fate, and Mahito leaves with Natsuko, whom he now calls mother. Two years later the family returns to Tokyo.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Boy and the Heron has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 96%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Earwig and the Witch, the latest.
- Chronological order: after Earwig and the Witch, the last.
Cast
- Soma Santoki as Mahito Maki (voice)
- Masaki Suda as Gray Heron (voice)
- Ko Shibasaki as Kiriko (voice)
- Aimyon as Lady Himi (voice)
- Yoshino Kimura as Natsuko (voice)
- Takuya Kimura as Shoichi Maki (voice)
- Keiko Takeshita as Izumi (voice)
- Jun Fubuki as Utako (voice)
- Sawako Agawa as Eriko (voice)
- Karen Takizawa as Warawara (voice)
- Shinobu Otake as Aiko (voice)
- Jun Kunimura as The Parakeet King (voice)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.