On Thursday, GKIDS announced the return of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature film, The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka), to North American theaters on March 22. Audiences attending the screenings will be treated to an introduction by the film’s composer, Joe Hisaishi, as well as a recorded drawing session with supervising animator and character designer Takeshi Honda. The film will be presented in its original Japanese with English subtitles, as well as with an English dub. GKIDS also released a trailer for the film.
The Boy and the Heron received critical acclaim, winning the Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, marking Miyazaki’s second win after Spirited Away in 2003. It also garnered recognition from various prestigious awards ceremonies, including the Japan Academy Film Prizes, Golden Globes Awards, Annie Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and EDA Awards by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Additionally, it was honored with the Noburou Oofuji Award by the 78th Mainichi Film Awards for its innovative creative expression.
The film’s success extended to its box office performance, achieving impressive ticket sales in both Japan and the United States. In Japan, it became the #71 highest-grossing film of all time, earning a substantial 8.66 billion yen (about US$61.4 million) in 2023 alone. Meanwhile, in its opening weekend in the U.S., it claimed the top spot at the box office, making it the “first original anime production” to achieve such a feat, as reported by Variety.
Furthermore, the film is set to stream exclusively on Max.
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
