Hayao Miyazaki's secretive The Boy and the Heron is pulling back the curtain with new photos
After years of secrecy, Studio Ghibli is sharing a glimpse into Hayao Miyazaki's vibrant new film, The Boy and the Heron.
Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, the studio has unveiled a series of stills that introduce several characters, including a young boy, a man with bird legs, and a swashbuckling bird king. The latter seemingly rules over an entire underground kingdom — not unlike Ghibli's secret cat-filled dominion in Baron: the Cat Returns — as two parakeets behind him cart away a glass coffin carrying a small girl.
The imagery (14 in total) arrive after Studio Ghibli made known plans to keep information and marketing under wraps. "No images, trailers, synopses, advertisements, or other information about the film have been made available to the public prior to the release in theaters in Japan," read a past press release. With The Boy and the Heron now prepping to screen across the film festival circuit, fans of the storied animation house can finally see and learn more about what's in store.
Studio Ghibli The Boy and the Heron
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Other images feel reminiscent of Miyazaki's 1997 film Princess Mononoke, with one highlighting a heavily injured heron and another featuring an entire gaggle of smiling marshmallow-like spirits that appear reminiscent of Mononoke's Kodama. A woman, who appears to run an all-female nursing home, as well as several men are also revealed.
Written and directed by Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron is the legendary director's first film in a decade and is inspired by Yoshino Genzaburo's 1937 story of the same name. Set amid the events of World War II, the story follows a young boy named Mahito who, after the death of his mother, moves to a rural village to live with his stepmother Natsuko. There, he encounters a gray heron that dubs him the "long-awaited one" and sets him off on an Alice in Wonderland-esque journey to save his family by traveling to a magical underground world.
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Speaking with EW in 2020, producer Toshio Suzuki called the film a "big, fantastical story" and shared that each minute of the work's over-two-hour-long runtime took a team of 60 animators a month to complete.
The Boy and the Heron, which features an original score from Miyazaki's longtime collaborator Joe Hisaishi, will also make its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival, which begins next month.
Check out more images from The Boy and the Heron below.
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
Studio Ghibli 'The Boy and the Heron'
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