Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron has been the talk of the town for a while now, and for several reasons. Firstly, the film was released with no advertising material or promotional content prior, coming in as a surprise drop. Then, it was revealed to be Hayao Miyazaki’s swansong (that later turned out to be a false alarm, as with 2013’s The Wind Rises), with an English dub cast receiving heavy star power in the form of Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, Mark Hamill, and more.
Suffice to say, excitement levels for the movie’s release have hit the roof. Here’s some good news for the Singapore crowd —The Boy and the Heron will get its first theatrical run on 30 November 2023, as announced by local distributor Encore Films. It’s unclear whether it will be a fan screening or an official premiere, but the date puts it one week ahead of the U.S. release on 8 December.
Written and directed by Miyazaki, the animated feature follows Mahito Maki, who begins spotting a heron as he makes his way to his aunt Natsuko’s remote country house in the wake of his mother’s death. The 12-year-old follows the bird into a tunnel, only to end up at a grand hall, where he sees an illusion of his mother. Along with the heron, Mahito enters and explores an imaginative wonderland, described to be “a world shared by the living and dead”.
The film features a musical score from longtime Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, and dropped its first trailer last month. It was released in Japan on 14 July as Kimitachi wa do Ikiruka, which translates directly to “How Do You Live” in English. Since then, it has racked up more than US$52.9 million at the domestic box office, making it Studio Ghibli’s eighth highest grossing title on home turf, and Miyazaki’s first film in 10 years.
Soma Santoki plays Mahito in the Japanese version, joining Masaki Suda as Grey Heron, and Takuya Kimura, Aimyon, Kô Shibasaki, Yoshino Kimura, Shôhei Hino, and Jun Kunimura in other roles.
The Boy and the Heron lands 30 November in Singapore, and will be available in Japanese with English and Chinese subtitles.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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