--- title: "The Boy and the Heron" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron" fi1m_id: "the-boy-and-the-heron" imdb_id: "tt6587046" tmdb_id: 508883 wikidata_id: "Q47482560" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 15 published: "2026-09-10" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:03.558287+00:00" region: "BE" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Boy and the Heron (2023) Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · 2h 04m · Animation, Fantasy, Drama ## Identity The Boy and the Heron - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-boy-and-the-heron - **IMDb ID:** tt6587046 - **TMDB ID:** 508883 - **Wikidata ID:** Q47482560 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6587046/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/508883, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47482560 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 86 from 15 reviews *In a sentence:* The heron has a man’s teeth, the parakeets have knives and forks, and the boy would still rather go home > Hayao Miyazaki, back from retirement, sends a grieving boy down a tower into a world of herons, parakeets and spirits. The first hour is as controlled as anything he has made; the second is crowded and given to speeches. We recommend it warmly. ## Synopsis Tokyo, during the war. Mahito Maki (voiced by Soma Santoki) loses his mother when the hospital where she is staying burns. His father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) moves them to the countryside, to the estate of Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), his late wife’s younger sister, who is pregnant and is to become Mahito’s new mother. The house comes with a staff of elderly maids, a sealed tower in the grounds, and a grey heron (Masaki Suda) that follows the boy and speaks to him. When Natsuko walks into the woods and does not return, Mahito goes after her, with the maid Kiriko (Ko Shibasaki) and the heron, into the tower and the world beneath it. Hayao Miyazaki writes and directs; Joe Hisaishi composes. ## Review Hayao Miyazaki said he had retired after *The Wind Rises*, and has come back with a film whose Japanese title is a question: *How Do You Live?* Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) is a boy in wartime Tokyo whose mother dies in a hospital fire. His father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) moves them to the country, to a house belonging to Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura), his late wife’s younger sister, who is pregnant and is to be Mahito’s new mother. There is a sealed tower in the grounds, a staff of bent old maids, and a grey heron (Masaki Suda) that will not leave the boy alone. The first hour is Miyazaki at his most disciplined; the second is too full and keeps stopping to explain itself. We recommend it warmly, and with that caveat. The fire is the first thing you see, and it is why the film carries a 12A. Mahito runs through the streets towards the hospital, and the crowd and the flames are drawn as smears, as though the paint were still wet, so that people melt into sparks and the boy’s own outline breaks up as he pushes through them. There is almost no music. We were shaken, and it took us a while to work out why: the picture itself seems to be burning, and the boy is inside it. Then the country, and the quietest hour Miyazaki has made. Mahito says almost nothing and lies on his bed. Atsushi Okui keeps the house in soft greens and clean, hard daylight. After a fight on his first day at the new school, the boy picks up a stone on the walk home and strikes his own head with it. The blood is drawn thick and dark, and we flinched. It is the first thing he does of his own accord, and the film does not comment on it. Suda’s heron is a fine piece of grotesquerie. It wheedles and gargles, taunts the boy with his dead mother, and when it opens its beak there is a man’s face inside with a full set of teeth. Then Natsuko walks into the woods and does not come back, and Mahito follows her into the tower with Kiriko (Ko Shibasaki), one of the maids. Below is a sea, a stone gate, pelicans, and the warawara, small white spirits like puffballs that rise at night in their hundreds and drift upwards to be born. We had not expected to be moved by a swarm of dumplings, and we were. Joe Hisaishi’s score is his most held-back for Miyazaki: mostly piano, single notes, long stretches of nothing, and the strings arrive late. The editing, credited to Takeshi Seyama, Akane Shiraishi and Rie Matsubara, lets the house scenes run long. In the tower it starts to jump. There is Himi (Aimyon), a girl who throws fire. There are parakeets the size of men, in aprons, with knives and forks, ruled by a Parakeet King (Jun Kunimura) of enormous self-regard. Every ten minutes there is a new rule, and the rules come in speeches. That is the problem. The second half becomes a story about inheritance that we will not describe, and Miyazaki, who has spent a career trusting children to keep up, twice has a character stand still and tell Mahito what this world is and what it wants from him. The parakeets are funny, and there are a great many of them, and by the third crowd scene we wanted to get back to the boy. Santoki plays Mahito flat and watchful, which is right for the first hour and gives the second less to hold on to. It borrows openly from itself. The tower has the bathhouse of [*Spirited Away*](https://film.one/film/spirited-away) in it, and the country house, the move from the city and the absent mother all come from *My Neighbour Totoro*. Most critics have taken this as a summing-up and scored it close to his best. We would put it below those two and above *Howl’s Moving Castle* and *Ponyo*, which is not a complaint. At 124 minutes it could lose a parakeet or two. See it in Japanese, on the biggest screen you can find, with a child of ten or over who does not need everything explained. Adults will want more explanation than the film gives, and less than it gives when it finally does. *Fi1m score 81, published 10 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics take The Boy and the Heron as a farewell, whether or not Miyazaki means it as one, and they review it in that spirit. The praise gathers around two things: the hand-drawn animation, which nearly every review dwells on, and the personal weight of a story about a grieving boy shaped by the director’s own wartime childhood. Many hear echoes of his earlier films and treat that as a virtue rather than repetition. The reservations are consistent and mild: the fantasy world gets crowded, the storytelling stalls in places, and several reviewers warn it is darker and harder to follow than parents may expect. The spread is narrow. Variety calls it a mid-range entry rather than a summing-up, and Deadline goes further, finding the thinnest story in his filmography beneath the visual spectacle. Nobody else is that far from the crowd, and the one mixed notice stands alone against fourteen positive ones. ## Straight answers **Is The Boy and the Heron worth watching?** *The Boy and the Heron* is worth watching, and we scored it 81. Hayao Miyazaki's first hour, following a grieving boy through a quiet country house, is as disciplined as anything he has made; the second, crowded with man-sized parakeets and speeches, is less sure of itself. We recommend it warmly, in Japanese, on the largest screen available. **How long is The Boy and the Heron, and what is it rated?** *The Boy and the Heron* runs 2h 04m. It is an animation and fantasy film. **Where can I watch The Boy and the Heron in Belgium?** *The Boy and the Heron* is streaming on Netflix in Belgium. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Boy and the Heron, and is it suitable for children?** *The Boy and the Heron* carries a 12A and earns it in its opening minutes, when Mahito runs through a burning Tokyo towards the hospital where his mother dies. Later he strikes his own head with a stone, and the blood is drawn thick and dark; the heron opens its beak to reveal a man's teeth. We would take a child of ten or over who does not need everything explained. **How does The Boy and the Heron compare to Spirited Away?** *The Boy and the Heron* borrows its tower from the bathhouse of [*Spirited Away*](https://film.one/film/spirited-away), and both send a child into a spirit world with a way home to earn. The earlier film is the more complete of the two: its pace wanders, but it never stops to explain itself, where the later film does so twice. We would show a child *Spirited Away* first. **What should I watch after The Boy and the Heron?** After *The Boy and the Heron*, try [*Spirited Away*](https://film.one/film/spirited-away) (2001, Fi1m 92): The bathhouse this tower borrows from, and a girl who has to work her way home. Then [*Grave of the Fireflies*](https://film.one/film/grave-of-the-fireflies) (1988, Fi1m 94): Ghibli’s other wartime children, drawn by Isao Takahata, and no tower to escape into; and [*Pan's Labyrinth*](https://film.one/film/pans-labyrinth) (2006, Fi1m 87): A girl, a war, a stepparent and a faun who cannot be trusted either. ### Reviews we read (30) - **Little White Lies**, Mark Asch (5/5/5): The film is a richly self-synthesising and achingly sentimental message of hope for the future from the Japanese maestro. It is a mind-mangling explosion of poetry, philosophy and pure emotion that feels like the end of something yet points forward. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film Miyazaki at his most beautifully elegiac and a hauntingly personal story of grief, loss and perseverance. He singles out the simplest, loveliest final image as a quietly shattering reminder of the imaginative wonders that spring from memory. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-24/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli) - **The AV Club**, Luke Y. Thompson (A-): The review likens it to the animator playing his greatest hits in a new combination, praising how he spins familiar elements into gold with dreamlike fantasy, cuteness mixed with danger, and a plea for successors through art. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-plays-the-1851037377) - **Radio Times**, Jayne Nelson (4/5): This is an exquisite work of art and a fitting farewell from Miyazaki, with gorgeous hand-painted animation and surreal elements. It is not quite in the league of his greatest classics and may be too dark for younger viewers. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-db4sua/the-boy-and-the-heron/) - **Time Out**, India Lawrence (4/5): Miyazaki returns with a visually stunning and seriously imaginative swansong full of breathtaking landscapes and philosophical themes. Jaw-dropping visuals, tender moments and comedy make it a perfect Christmas treat, though it can be tricky to follow for younger viewers. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-boy-and-the-heron-2023) - **Total Film** (80/100, inferred): Miyazaki proves he's still a master of the medium in this Toronto premiere review of the film. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) - **Empire**, Ben Travis: This is an astonishing, sumptuous animated fantasy and outright masterwork that serves as a Greatest Hits set of Miyazaki's distinctive output while feeling fearlessly new. It is a contemplative self-reflective dive that is thrillingly adventurous and beautifully crafted. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron/) - **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells: This is a gorgeous exploration of grief and a beautiful magical film that still soars way above the competition despite not quite matching Miyazaki's greatest masterpieces. The animation and storytelling offer wonder even amid its excesses of symbolism and portals. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli-grief-b1128527.html) - **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★★☆): The critic praises it as an epic spectacle of lost childhood and strange netherworlds, a literal work of art that reminds viewers life can be wonderful in the most unlikely ways despite its stubborn mystery. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/65974079-a78f-4dee-9ec5-623e9832d01b) - **Screen Daily**: Miyazaki delivers a lovely valedictory statement full of stunning images that vary from sublime to nightmarish, revisiting themes of family bonds and the natural world. The storytelling can sometimes be cluttered and momentum stalls, but reservations are minor. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-toronto-review/5185198.article) - **Sight and Sound**: The critic praises Miyazaki's mystical new film as a thrilling, frenetic experience that opens up to something massive and apocalyptic. It is a story about recognising and accepting responsibilities, externalised through surreal landscapes, though it can feel too busy. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/boy-heron-miyazaki-hayaos-enchanting-fable-bursting-with-ideas) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds it a mysterious and charming fantasy circling back to Miyazaki’s classic themes of childhood pain and grief forged in the second world war. It is a valuable addition to the canon about confronting sadness and replacing it with wonder and joy. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/20/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic calls it a profoundly personal swan song from the master animator, drawing on childhood memories to reflect on loss, legacy, and finding peace amid chaos. It highlights the astonishing hand-drawn visuals and fluid storytelling as a late gift. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-1235581958/) - **The Independent**: The film is a grand, beautiful, tortured return for Miyazaki that blends personal, cultural and historical elements in the vein of his best work like Spirited Away. It serves as a worthy potential conclusion to his legacy with vast imagination and emotional depth. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-b2469456.html) - **The i Paper**, Francesca Steele: It is an extraordinary swansong that is strange, riveting and something only Miyazaki could make, underpinned by the emotional truth of grief and love. The kaleidoscopic fantasy journey through an exquisitely rendered land feels dreamlike yet crystal clear in its themes. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-extraordinary-swansong-miyazaki-2818094) - **The New York Times**, Alissa Wilkinson (Critic’s Pick): The critic finds the film an enigmatic tale of a boy growing up amid war and fear, much like Miyazaki’s own youth. She singles out its philosophical core, drawn from the Japanese title “How Do You Live?,” as the director implicitly asks the audience that question. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/movies/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki.html) - **The Telegraph**: The critic calls it Studio Ghibli’s finest film to date, an astonishing animation and breathtaking adventure full of the fantasy of childhood itself that feels like the least final film ever made. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/the-boy-and-the-heron-film-review-hayao-miyazaki/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The critic sees the film as a worthy but mid-range addition to Miyazaki’s oeuvre, more bonus round than career capper, that follows a grieving boy into a parallel wonderland. He singles out the unpredictable, imagination-driven storytelling and the grotesque yet memorable heron character. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-kimitachi-wa-do-ikiru-ka-1235715900/) - **Vulture**: The critic deems it tremendous and irresistible in its dream logic, blending adorable and dark elements while equating the real and magical worlds; it notes the personal grappling with grief and the inability to fully escape reality's ugliness. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/miyazakis-the-boy-and-the-heron-does-not-disappoint.html) - **The Playlist**, Carlos Aguilar (A+): Calls it a masterfully mature and introspective work contemplating mortality, legacy, and the value of returning to imperfect reality after fantasy. Praises its personal nature as Miyazaki's most intimate spell yet, blending myth, grief, and encouragement to persevere. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-boy-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-looks-inward-for-a-masterfully-mature-animated-drama-tiff-20230907/) - **Consequence**, Clint Worthington (A): Miyazaki returns with a sprawling, imaginative epilogue full of fairytale magic and deeply felt characters. The first half offers a restrained, Ozu-like slice of grief before entering the fantastical realm. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/09/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) - **Digital Spy**, Mireia Mullor (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a luscious, absorbing animated masterpiece that feels like a peek into Miyazaki's soul, blending elements from his previous works into a unique coming-of-age story about loss of innocence. They single out the hand-drawn craft as a monumental visual force and the director's trust in children's courage amid pessimism about the world. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a45504038/boy-and-heron-studio-ghibli-review/) - **/Film**, Josh Spiegel (9/10): Hails it as another Miyazaki triumph: a tender, wistfully sad fantasy that burrows into the soul with familiar themes and intense, relatable heartbreak at its core. Emphasizes the masterful animation and emotional depth in exploring grief and resilience. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1462857/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) - **Polygon**, Cezary Jan Strusiewicz (85/100, inferred): The film is a gloriously demented farewell packed with weird imagery and references to Miyazaki's past work. It feels like a personal, nihilistic statement on life, creativity, and mortality. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23797923/how-do-you-live-boy-and-the-heron-hayao-miyazaki-review/) - **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a beautiful, mournful and ultimately hope-filled kaleidoscopic rumination on life, death and creation, and Miyazaki’s deepest and darkest since Grave of the Fireflies. They single out its imaginative animation that blurs borders between reason and delivers personal, artful storytelling with a sense of survival and hope. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) - **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (8/10): The film showcases Miyazaki at his most unusual and ambitious, blending real grief with a strange fantasy world. It stands as a career culmination with stunning animation and memorable characters. [Read](https://collider.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) - **The Skinny**, Rory Doherty (★★★★): The critic praises Miyazaki for looking inward to craft a fantasia on legacy and escapism that reminds viewers why Ghibli films are magical, with a deft and delicate denouement. They note the fantasy world feels a bit crowded but highlight the graceful exploration of how past and future connect. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-boy-and-the-heron) - **Deadline**, Valerie Complex (60/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a visual spectacle that rekindles the art of 2D animation but calls it a mixed bag with narrative missteps and the weakest story in Miyazaki’s filmography. They praise the hand-painted frames, commitment to traditional animation, and exploration of grief and the cyclic nature of life and death. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/09/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-miyazaki-toronto-1235526729/) - **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze: Notes the hand-drawn beauty connecting to grander ideas and autobiographical elements across Miyazaki's oeuvre. Describes the story of a haunted boy relocated to the countryside who encounters a persistent gray heron and enters a strange new world. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-boy-and-the-heron-2023-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) - **Film Stories**, Ryan Lambie: Praises Miyazaki's unique ability to imbue animation with tangible weight and physicality. Highlights the film's introspective portrait of a grieving boy navigating a darker, more unpredictable fantasy world shaped by personal loss and wartime trauma. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) ## Details - **Director:** Hayao Miyazaki - **Director:** Hayao Miyazaki - **Screenplay:** Hayao Miyazaki - **Cinematography:** Atsushi Okui - **Editor:** Akane Shiraishi, Rie Matsubara, Takeshi Seyama - **Music:** Joe Hisaishi - **Producer:** Toshio Suzuki - **Cast:** Soma Santoki as Mahito Maki (voice); Masaki Suda as Gray Heron (voice); Kō Shibasaki as Kiriko (voice); Aimyon as Lady Himi (voice); Yoshino Kimura as Natsuko (voice); Takuya Kimura as Shoichi Maki (voice); Keiko Takeshita as Izumi (voice); Jun Fubuki as Utako (voice) - **Runtime:** 2h 04m - **Release (Belgium):** 18 October 2023 - **Genres:** Animation, Fantasy, Drama - **Budget:** $50 million - **Box office:** $294 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A002-b7IH2M ## Where to watch in Belgium - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2024: Best Animated Feature (won) - Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2023: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated) - BAFTA Film Awards 2023: Best Animated Film (won) - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film 2023: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film (won) - Critics' Choice Awards 2023: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film 2023: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film (won) - Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film 2023: Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film (won) - Golden Globes 2023: Best Animated Feature Film (won) - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film 2023: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film (won) - New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film 2023: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film (won) - San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature 2023: San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature (won) ## If you liked this - *Spirited Away* (2001), Fi1m 92: The bathhouse this tower borrows from, and a girl who has to work her way home. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/spirited-away.md) - *Grave of the Fireflies* (1988), Fi1m 94: Ghibli’s other wartime children, drawn by Isao Takahata, and no tower to escape into. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/grave-of-the-fireflies.md) - *Pan's Labyrinth* (2006), Fi1m 87: A girl, a war, a stepparent and a faun who cannot be trusted either. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/pans-labyrinth.md) - *The Spirit of the Beehive* (1973), Fi1m 87: Spain after its war, a small girl, and a monster she decides to believe in. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-spirit-of-the-beehive.md) - *Wolfwalkers* (2020), Fi1m 84: Irish hand-drawn animation with the same faith that children see what adults will not. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wolfwalkers.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron