The Boy and the Heron

Two years after losing his mother in a fire, young Mahito is brought to the countryside where his father is to remarry.  When his future mother in law goes missing, Mahito tracks her to a mysterious tower, only to be invited in by a talking Heron.  What follows is a journey through a fantastical world filled with wonders and terrors.  All the while, Mahito must grapple with his own emotions and his mother death to save his future as well as his families. 

When The Wind Rises debuted in 2013, it garnered worldwide attention as it was touted as Hayao Miyazaki’s final film as Director.  As we know by now, he wasn’t done quite yet.  Which brings us to The Boy and the Heron.  Being in the works for close to a decade by a Director who at one point was done with Anime, there’s a lot of anticipation behind this film, in no small part due to it simply being a brand new film by Hayao Miyazaki, arguably the most famous and well renowned Anime Director of all time.  Apparently, there was very little done to promote the film in Japan leading up to its release.  It’s a crazy tactic but all it needed was the Directors name and it would have everyone talking about it.  This actually works in its favor because despite it being a return to the more fantastical storytelling we’re used to with Miyazaki after the Anime Bio-Pic that was The Wind Rises, The Boy and the Heron is a film that is deep, complex, at times a bit unfocused, but nonetheless stands as Miyazaki’s darkest and most personal film to date. 
 
The Boy and the Heron is a film heavily steeped in themes of loss, acceptance and trying to move past grief to find a future that loved ones would want one to have.  A lot of this comes from Miyazaki’s own personal history, hence the most personal film in his resume.  From the vivid, chaotic and sometimes terrifying (but always beautiful) imagery, you can tell this movie comes from deep within the Master Anime Filmmaker and he’s tapping every bit of those events that shaped him to shape this movie.  With that much heart and soul poured into every frame and moment, It’s impossible not to feel something at least once watching The Boy and the Heron.  Even if you feel lost in some of the worlds logic, I feel like that’s part of the experience.  Grief is challenging and moving through it is even more so.  Very little makes sense and the same goes for what Mahito is witnessing during his odyssey.  For any faults I might find with this movie (and I’ll talk about them), I get where its coming from and what it’s trying to accomplish and I bow in total respect to Miyazaki for it.
 
Should surprise no one that The Boy and the Heron is another gorgeous piece of animated brilliance from Studio Ghibli.  It feels wrong to say that Mahito’s dreams about the fire that took his mother are some of the best looking scenes in the movie but they kick the movie off right and let you know you’re in for something unlike any Miyazaki film you’ve seen before.  Still, this is a return to Miyazaki’s realm of fantasy that has made him so beloved throughout his career.  Tiny cute blobs float into a sea of stars.  Giant birds of all sizes and forms want to eat Mahito.  And the titular Heron changes forms rapidly at various points.  All of this is expertly crafted and drawn to perfection, resulting in easily one of the best looking Miyazaki and Ghibli films ever produced…which makes sense cause if this is really Miyazaki’s last project before retiring for good, it had better look damn fantastic.
 
Like I said though, as much as I understand how the story is presented, stuff still bothers me.  I don’t know if it was the English Dub or if was done intentionally but there were important revelations that seemingly came out of nowhere.  Was I not paying attention enough, I wonder?  The rules of the world Mahito travels through also seem to change on a whim.  In a way, these are similar complaints I had about Howl’s Moving Castle such as Sophie seemingly de-aging without explanation throughout the film.  There’s also a last minute antagonist thrown in that just wasn’t necessary.  The film has enough to work with dealing with grief, loss and acceptance and the darkness that comes from navigating all three.  Mahito grappling with the real reason he’s on this journey is conflict enough I feel.  Having someone else come in and be a nemesis for no reason isnt needed.  Personally, I feel like the movie could have used another story draft to iron out things like this.  Again though, given the unpredictable approach to the story, this could be intentional and I’m just complaining for no reason.
 
I should touch on the phenomenal voice cast for the English Dub.  There are some familiar favorites from past Miyazaki and Ghibli English dubs like Christian Bale as Mahito’s Dad and Willem Dafoe’s brief but memorable turn as a Noble Pelican.  But easily the most stand out performance comes from Robert Pattison as the Heron.  When I heard the voice in the trailers for the US release, I swear it was Dafoe’s.  Nope, this is Pattison and he’s almost unrecognizable and I freaking love it.  The dude has come a long way from his embarrassing Twilight days to become one of the most respected actors of his generation (not to mention a damn good Batman).  His voicework here sees Pattison almost challenging a sort of Jack Nicholson persona, playing both sleazy con creature and sympathetic ally at various points.  It’s one of the guys best performances in any film.  Also, I could listen to Gemma Chan’s soothing voice all day as Natsuko.
 
So is The Boy and the Heron a perfect masterpiece from one of the Grand Masters of Anime?  Ehhh…I’ll admit I still like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke much better.  Again though, I don’t dislike this movie at all.  I think it’s a testament to Miyazaki’s powers as a filmmaker and storyteller that he can infuse this film with so much raw power and emotion that even when things aren’t making perfect sense, or any sense at all, you’re still invested and wondering how its all going to play out.  It’s easily Miyazaki’s darkest movie and a tale he’s wanted to tell for a long time.  I wont lie, I almost fell asleep numerous times watching The Wind Rises.  So I’m happy that if Miyazaki is hanging up the Directorial reigns for good this time, he’s ending his historic career on a far better note.
 
8/10