Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy And The Heron Drops Harrowingly Moving Trailer

One of the most famous writer-directors in the world, Hayao Miyazaki, is releasing what was originally billed as the final film of his career. While "The Boy and the Heron" won't be his last film after all, the deeply emotional trailer for the movie is now here.

Miyazaki hasn't made a movie since 2013, when he released his animated feature "The Wind Rises," and it's now time to release what he's said is his last-ever movie. According to a logline obtained by several outlets, including Variety, "The Boy and the Heron" is about "A young boy named Mahito longing for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki." The movie will be released in the United States on December 8, 2023, and will be available in its original Japanese with English subtitles, with an English dub to come later.

So what happens in the trailer for "The Boy and the Heron?"

The trailer doesn't reveal a whole lot, which makes sense; the movie has been shrouded in secrecy since it was announced. We do meet Mahito, running through a dark and mysterious world as he does his very best to search for his late mother. From there, though, Mahito starts seeing a mysterious heron, and as he follows the bird, it seems like he might discover more about his mother. In between moments from the film, which range from strange to incredibly beautiful, the on-screen text reads, "Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning."

Anyone familiar with Hayao Miyazaki's award-winning films, which include "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," and "Howl's Moving Castle," knows that the director mixes the grotesque and the gorgeous to create his deeply emotional works. We can likely expect the same from "The Boy and the Heron," though it's devastating to know it could very well be the last movie from this incredible and unique auteur.

"The Boy and the Heron" will open the Toronto International Film Festival and premiere in the United States on December 8.