The Boy and the Heron
Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning.
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."
- Year: 2023
- Country: Japan
- Genre: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy, Family, Drama
- Studio: Studio Ghibli
- Keyword: loss of loved one, world war ii, education, coming of age, spirituality, poverty, teenage boy, parallel world, troubled childhood, semi autobiographical, based on myths, legends or folklore, moving to a city, 1940s, anime, imaginative, hand drawn animation, magic world, animation, courage, suspenseful, magical realism
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura
