#10
The Boy and the Heron
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Hayao Miyazaki's second Oscar-winning Studio Ghibli feature following grieving wartime youth Mahito Maki into a surreal ancestral tower.
After losing his mother in a wartime Tokyo hospital fire, twelve-year-old Mahito Maki relocates to a country estate where a mocking gray heron lures him inside a mysterious meteor-tower world of life and death. Eighty-two-year-old Hayao Miyazaki delivers his most personal meditation on grief, legacy, and letting go of creative control.
About The Boy and the Heron
After losing his mother in a wartime Tokyo hospital fire, twelve-year-old Mahito Maki relocates to a country estate where a mocking gray heron lures him inside a mysterious meteor-tower world of life and death. Eighty-two-year-old Hayao Miyazaki delivers his most personal meditation on grief, legacy, and letting go of creative control. Won the 2024 Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. Opens with a arresting expressionistic hospital-fire sprint animated by Takeshi Honda and Shinya Ohira. Blends eerie folklore creatures—from bubbly Warawara spirits to militaristic giant parakeets—with painterly calm. Pairs Joe Hisaishi's minimalist piano motifs with Kenshi Yonezu's closing ballad Spinning Globe.
⛩️ Anime Details
- Studio
- Studio Ghibli
- Premiere Year
- 2023
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After losing his mother in a wartime Tokyo hospital fire, twelve-year-old Mahito Maki relocates to a country estate where a mocking gray heron lures him inside a mysterious meteor-tower world of life and death. Eighty-two-year-old Hayao Miyazaki delivers his most personal meditation on grief, legacy, and letting go of creative control.
Key Metrics
Studio
Studio Ghibli
Release Year
2023
Runtime
124 min
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Key Recognition
96th Academy Award Winner
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Won the 2024 Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature
- Opens with a arresting expressionistic hospital-fire sprint animated by Takeshi Honda and Shinya Ohira
- Blends eerie folklore creatures—from bubbly Warawara spirits to militaristic giant parakeets—with painterly calm
- Pairs Joe Hisaishi's minimalist piano motifs with Kenshi Yonezu's closing ballad Spinning Globe
Cons
- Trades linear narrative clarity in its second half for allegorical dream logic about Studio Ghibli's own succession
- Keeps protagonist Mahito solemn and interior for long stretches before entering the tower
- Introduces metaphysical stone-block rules late via Great-Uncle with minimal exposition
Eligibility
- Longtime Miyazaki admirers who appreciate personal, painterly allegory over straightforward adventure
- Viewers drawn to surreal coming-of-age fables in the vein of Pan's Labyrinth
- Viewers tracking Studio Ghibli works from 2023 directed by Hayao Miyazaki (96th Academy Award Winner)
- Community voters weighing narrative closure, animation craft, and replay value across 124 min
Things to Watch Out For
- Not ideal as a viewer's very first Studio Ghibli film compared with Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke
- Expect deliberate, meditative quiet throughout the opening forty-five minutes at the country estate
- Structure and pacing require 124 min of focused viewing rather than passive background play
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