Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Distributed by: GKIDS
Written by Alexander Reams
95/100
Writer’s note: The version being reviewed is the English Dub
If there was ever a filmmaker to use his own life as inspiration for a film, it would be Hayao Miyazaki. He returns to the silver screen with a film inspired by his memories of reading the novel ‘How Do You Live?.’ While that may sound rather surface for a filmmaker who created the iconic frames of “Porco Rosso” as he flies a bi-plane in the titular film, or Chihiro wandering the fantastical streets in “Spirited Away” Miyazaki takes this logline and imbues it with the trademark mythical touches that are within each of his films.
12-year-old Mahito Maki’s (Luca Padovan) life has been completely upended, his mother died in a hospital fire. His father, Shoichi (Christian Bale) has remarried his aunt, Natsuko (Gemma Chan) who is now pregnant with his step-brother. In response to all of this, and his inability to connect with his classmates, he injures himself to stay away from school. Miyazaki’s honest approach to social anxiety and the emotions of someone of middle school age never drift into cringe territory. Instead, it walks the line of being tender, but also honest about what Mahito does to himself.
After Shoichi takes Mahito out of school, Mahito becomes the victim of torment from a gray heron (Robert Pattinson) who is the window into the fantastical elements and ethereal worlds that Miyazaki is known for exploring. And of course, each frame looks like it should be framed in a museum. The care and detail put into crafting the environments around each character are as exemplary as the choice of voice actors for the English dub.
The cast employed for the dub is one of the finest ensembles of 2023, Mark Hamill as Natsuko’s Granduncle, Florence Pugh as Kiriko, Dave Bautista as the Parakeet King, Karen Fukahara as Lady Himi, and a scene-stealing Willem Dafoe as an Older Heron encompass the duo of Luca Padovan and Pattinson. Their chemistry works, even with the knowledge that their parts were recorded separately. It speaks to the care that Ghibli and GKIDS put into it, and the easter eggs of previous voice actors for Ghibli are a nice treat for fans.
“The Boy and the Heron’s” dub is an achievement in and of itself. On top of a film that is already meticulously crafted down to a single line. The usage of the worlds between death and life is a wonderful marination of themes that have been present throughout Miyazaki’s career. His reconciliation with his creation is what he ends “The Boy and the Heron” with. The reconciliation that he has created a legacy that will outlive him and will be carried through his name, and to do that he returns to the story of a boy, whose life becomes fantastical.
“The Boy and the Heron” Trailer
You can connect with Alexander on his social media profiles: Instagram, Letterboxd, and Twitter. Or see more of his work on his website.
