--- title: "The Boy and the Heron: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 15 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): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 15 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Little White Lies — Mark Asch Rating 5/5/5. 24 December 2023. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2023. 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 the review](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 Rating A-. 7 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-plays-the-1851037377) ## Radio Times — Jayne Nelson Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-db4sua/the-boy-and-the-heron/) ## Time Out — India Lawrence Rating 4/5. 28 November 2023. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-boy-and-the-heron-2023) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2023. Festival review. Miyazaki proves he's still a master of the medium in this Toronto premiere review of the film. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) ## Empire — Ben Travis 8 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron/) ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells 22 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli-grief-b1128527.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 21 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.ft.com/content/65974079-a78f-4dee-9ec5-623e9832d01b) ## Screen Daily 8 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-toronto-review/5185198.article) ## Sight and Sound 11 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/boy-heron-miyazaki-hayaos-enchanting-fable-bursting-with-ideas) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 20 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/20/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 7 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-1235581958/) ## The Independent 26 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-b2469456.html) ## The i Paper — Francesca Steele 26 December 2023. 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 the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-extraordinary-swansong-miyazaki-2818094) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Rating Critic’s Pick. 21 November 2023. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/movies/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki.html) ## The Telegraph 9 October 2023. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/the-boy-and-the-heron-film-review-hayao-miyazaki/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 8 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-kimitachi-wa-do-ikiru-ka-1235715900/) ## Vulture 8 September 2023. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/miyazakis-the-boy-and-the-heron-does-not-disappoint.html) ## The Playlist — Carlos Aguilar Rating A+. 7 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-boy-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki-looks-inward-for-a-masterfully-mature-animated-drama-tiff-20230907/) ## Consequence — Clint Worthington Rating A. 27 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2023/09/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) ## Digital Spy — Mireia Mullor Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a45504038/boy-and-heron-studio-ghibli-review/) ## /Film — Josh Spiegel Rating 9/10. 6 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1462857/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) ## Polygon — Cezary Jan Strusiewicz Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2023. 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 the review](https://www.polygon.com/23797923/how-do-you-live-boy-and-the-heron-hayao-miyazaki-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 8 September 2023. 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 the review](https://collider.com/the-boy-and-the-heron-review/) ## The Skinny — Rory Doherty Rating ★★★★. 18 December 2023. 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 the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-boy-and-the-heron) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/2023/09/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-miyazaki-toronto-1235526729/) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze 2 October 2023. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-boy-and-the-heron-2023-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## Film Stories — Ryan Lambie 28 December 2023. 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 the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-review-hayao-miyazaki/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-boy-and-the-heron.md