The Boy and the Heron Coming Back to Cinemas

Anime

In light of winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, The Boy and the Heron is returning to US theaters on March 22nd. The film will feature special added content like a foreword with composer Joe Hisaishi (who has composed most of Studio Ghibli’s oeuvre) and a drawing lesson with supervising animator Takeshi Honda. The film will again be offered in both subbed and dubbed showings. If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s GKIDS’ synopsis:

“After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.”

The Boy and the Heron likely was the best animated movie last year; the only real competition that comes to mind is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. But to be honest, it doesn’t matter who wins this award because it’s the kiddie table of awards season. These people think animation isn’t good enough to stand up to the big movies and has to be separated and handheld. Only three animated films have ever been nominated for Best Picture: Beauty and the Beast in 1992, Up in 2010, and Toy Story 3 in 2011. To the surprise of nobody, none of these films won. This is one of many reasons I no longer watch or care about award ceremonies. But I’m glad the creatives at Ghibli are happy; they did something great for the umpteenth time and deserve the accolades, condescending though this one may be. I might see the movie again, depending on scheduling.

But what do you think about The Boy and the Heron winning an Oscar and coming back for seconds? Did you see it? Are you going to now? Let us know in the comments!