The Boy And The Heron, Billed As Hayao Miyazaki's Final Film, Sets US Release Window
"The Boy and the Heron" has had one of the strangest marketing journeys of any film in recent memory. In fact, up until now, the movie wasn't even called that, but was instead thought to be titled "How Do You Live?" The details of the film, which is said to be the last film from legendary writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, have been kept deliberately vague.
It's an odd choice for the final film of such a legendary name in animation. Being that Miyazaki is the brilliant mind behind classic animated films like "Princess Mononoke," "Spirited Away," and a host of others, the cache of movies behind his name ensures that the film will likely be a success regardless of its lack of promotions. After all, "Spirited Away" was the most successful Japanese film ever released for over 15 years before being dethroned by "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train."
While the film was released on July 14, 2023, in Japan under its original title, it has been announced by Gkids, who have acquired the rights for the North American release of the new Miyazaki movie, that it will be titled "The Boy and the Heron" internationally and will be released in late 2023.
The film is based on a beloved Japanese book
As the studio promised prior to the film's release, Studio Ghibli hasn't released a single trailer or teaser for "The Boy and the Heron." This means that, despite the film currently being out in Japan, there is still only a single promotional image for the film, which you can see above. It features a close-up of what appears to be a bird's eye and is likely showcasing the heron of the title.
Though "How Do You Live?" was written by Genzaburo Yoshino and originally released in 1937, "The Boy and the Heron" is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is said to be very different from the book, which followed the life of a 15-year-old boy and his uncle.
Though details still remain scarce concerning what the actual plot of "The Boy and the Heron" is, fans are no doubt overjoyed to have a final piece of animation from the revered filmmaker, especially when you consider that he came out of retirement just to bring this story to life.