The Boy and the Heron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Boy and the Heron
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by	Toshio Suzuki
Written by	Hayao Miyazaki
Starring	Soma Santoki Masaki Suda Aimyon Yoshino Kimura Shōhei Hino Ko Shibasaki Takuya Kimura
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Cinematography	Atsushi Okui
Editing by	Takeshi Seyama
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	July 14, 2023 (2023-07-14)
Running time	124 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Money made	US$167.8 million

The Boy and the Heron (Japanese: 君たちはどう生きるか, Hepburn: Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, lit. How Do You Live?) is a 2023 Japanese animated fantasy film. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli produced the movie.

The Japanese title refers to a 1937 novel called How Do You Live?. This book briefly appears in the film. However, the movie tells a completely new story. It is not based on the novel.

The film is about a boy named Mahito Maki. His story takes place during the Pacific War. After his mother dies, Mahito moves to the countryside. He finds an old tower near his new home. There, he enters a magical world with a talking grey heron.

Hayao Miyazaki had announced he would stop making films in 2013. But he changed his mind. He started working on this film in 2016. Production took about seven years. It was a very expensive film to make in Japan. The story shares ideas from Miyazaki's own childhood. It explores growing up and dealing with sadness. Joe Hisaishi created the music for the film.

The Boy and the Heron was released in Japan on July 14, 2023. It was shown in regular theaters and special formats like IMAX. The movie was released with almost no advertising. Studio Ghibli wanted it to be a surprise. The film received great reviews. It earned over $167 million worldwide. It also won many awards. These include the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Plot Summary: Mahito's Journey

A New Home and a Mysterious Tower

The story begins in Tokyo during the Pacific War. Mahito Maki's mother, Hisako, dies in a hospital fire. Mahito's father, Shoichi, owns a factory. He marries Hisako's sister, Natsuko. They move to Natsuko's big house in the countryside.

Mahito feels distant from Natsuko, who is pregnant. He sees a strange grey heron. The heron leads him to a sealed tower. This tower was built by Natsuko's granduncle, who disappeared there.

Entering a Magical World

After a fight at school, Mahito hurts himself on purpose. The heron starts talking to him. It promises Mahito he can find his mother. Mahito is almost caught by magical toads. But Natsuko saves him with a special arrow. Mahito then makes his own bow and arrow. He uses a feather from the heron. This makes his arrow shoot perfectly.

Mahito is reading a book his mother left him. Then, Natsuko gets sick and vanishes into the forest. Mahito and an old maid, Kiriko, go into the tower. The heron tricks Mahito with a watery copy of his mother. It disappears when he touches it. Mahito gets angry and shoots the heron's beak. This reveals a creature called the Birdman inside. A wizard appears and tells Birdman to guide Mahito and Kiriko. They all fall through the floor.

Adventures in Another Dimension

Mahito lands in a world that looks like an ocean. Young Kiriko saves him from attacking pelicans. She is a skilled fisherwoman. She uses a magic wand to make fire. They catch a giant fish and sell it. They sell it to small, bubble-like spirits called Warawara. These spirits fly up to be reborn in the world above.

A young woman named Himi uses fire powers. She protects the Warawara from hungry pelicans. A dying pelican explains that their kind is starving. They were brought to this world and have no food. Kiriko helps Mahito and the Birdman become friends. Mahito fixes Birdman's beak, and he can fly again.

The Parakeet Kingdom

Mahito and Birdman are separated by giant, man-eating parakeets. Himi saves Mahito. She shows him a tower that looks like the one he came from. This tower has doors to many worlds. They go through a door back to Natsuko's estate. Mahito's father sees them. But Mahito goes back through the door to find Natsuko.

Mahito sneaks into the parakeets' kingdom. He finds Natsuko in a special room. Natsuko pushes him away at first. But Mahito tells her he accepts her as his mother. Himi burns the paper creatures attacking them. All three become unconscious.

The Wizard's Request

In a dream, Mahito meets the wizard. This is Natsuko's granduncle. The wizard has a stack of stone blocks. These blocks represent their world. He asks Mahito to take over caring for this world. Mahito has special powers from his family. But Mahito sees that the blocks have bad feelings in them.

Mahito wakes up. Birdman frees him. They climb the tower to find the Parakeet King. The King is taking Himi to the wizard. The wizard has new blocks for Mahito. These blocks are free of bad feelings. He wants Mahito to build a better world. But Mahito says he also has bad feelings inside him. He points to his self-inflicted scar. He refuses the wizard's offer. He says he must first accept the people who love him.

Returning Home

The Parakeet King tries to build a world with the blocks. But the stack is too shaky and falls apart. The magical world starts to collapse and flood. Mahito, Himi, and Birdman escape. They meet Natsuko and young Kiriko again. Mahito learns that Himi is his birth mother. He warns her about her future. But Himi returns to her own time without regrets.

Mahito goes back home with Natsuko. Many animals from the magical world also leave. They turn back into normal animals. Birdman sees Mahito kept a special stone. He tells Mahito to forget his adventures. A charm doll Mahito carried turns back into the old Kiriko. Two years later, Mahito moves back to Tokyo. He lives with his father, Natsuko, and his new half-sibling.

Meet the Voice Actors

Masaki Suda, who voiced the Grey Heron in the Japanese version, in 2018

Robert Pattinson, who voiced the Grey Heron in the English version, in 2018

Here are the talented actors who lent their voices to the characters in The Boy and the Heron:

Film Release and Marketing

A Unique Release Strategy

The Boy and the Heron was released in Japan on July 14, 2023. This release was very unusual. There were no trailers or pictures released before the movie came out. Only one poster was shown.

The producer, Toshio Suzuki, made this choice. He thought people would enjoy the movie more if it was a surprise. He believed that showing too much before a film can spoil it. Even the actors and crew were kept secret until the release day.

International Screenings

The film was sold to other countries before it had a release date there. In North America, GKIDS bought the rights to show the film. This was the biggest film release in GKIDS' history.

The movie was called The Boy and the Heron internationally. It had special previews on November 22, 2023. Its main release in the United States was on December 8, 2023. The first official photos from the film were shared in theater pamphlets in August.

The movie had its first international showing at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It was the opening film on September 7. This was the first time an animated film opened this festival. It was a very big honor. The film was also shown at other film festivals around the world.

Miyazaki's Future Plans

GKIDS handled the marketing for the American release. They released a short preview video. This was done to reach more people. It still kept the special feel of Studio Ghibli films.

At the international premiere, Studio Ghibli's Vice President, Junichi Nishioka, spoke. He said that The Boy and the Heron is not Miyazaki's last film. He mentioned that Miyazaki is already thinking about new ideas. He still goes to his office every day. This means Miyazaki is not retiring.

Nishioka also said that Studio Ghibli does not make films to win awards. Miyazaki's main goal is for people to watch and enjoy his movies. Producer Toshio Suzuki confirmed this later. He said Miyazaki is already focused on his next project.

Impact of the Film

The Book's Popularity

After The Boy and the Heron was released, the novel How Do You Live? became very popular. It had the same title as the movie. Because of this, the book quickly sold out.

The publisher decided to print many more copies. The book became the number one best-selling book from its publisher. By July 20, 2023, over 1.8 million copies had been sold. This shows how much the film influenced people to read the book.

See also

In Spanish: Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (película de 2023) para niños