On Monday, TOHO announced that it will be showcasing the English dub of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature film, The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka), in Japan on March 20.
The Boy and the Heron secured the Best Animated Feature Film award at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, marking Miyazaki’s second win following “Spirited Away” in 2003. Additionally, it received nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises.
The film’s accolades extend further, including winning Animation of the Year at the 47th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes and the Best Motion Picture – Animated category at the 81st Golden Globes Awards earlier this year. It also received recognition from the Annie Awards and the British Academy Film Awards. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists honored it with the Best Animated Film award in its EDA Awards on December 31. Furthermore, the 78th Mainichi Film Awards announced that the film would receive the Noburou Oofuji Award, which celebrates animated works that offer new forms of creative expression.
Upon its release in Japan in July 2023, “The Boy and the Heron” garnered significant success, selling over 1.003 million tickets and earning approximately US$13.2 million in its first three days. During its Friday-Monday long weekend, it sold 1.353 million tickets, amassing 2.149 billion yen (about US$15.53 million) in earnings. Notably, it ranks as the #71 highest-grossing film in Japan and stands as the third highest-grossing domestic film of 2023, grossing 8.66 billion yen (about US$61.4 million).
GKIDS describes the film as follows:
After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.
Source: ANN
