6 Interesting Facts about the Film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON', a Work by Maestro Hayao Miyazaki that Was Cancelled Retirement

Kapanlagi.com - For loyal fans of animated films from Studio Ghibli, get ready to satisfy your longing and watch another masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki. 'THE BOY AND THE HERON' is an animated film from Studio Ghibli that premiered in Japan on July 14, 2023, and is known to be released in the United States on December 8. This film also turned out to be the opening film at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023, and of course received a lot of positive responses.

The film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON' set against World War II tells the story of a boy named Mahito Maki who has difficulty adapting to the new city he lives in after his beloved mother passed away. In short, Mahito meets a talking heron. The mysterious heron says that his mother is still alive, and invites Mahito to go to a tower that serves as a portal to enter the magical world where his mother is.

The interesting storyline definitely showcases the distinctive atmosphere of Studio Ghibli, and fans admit that Hayao Miyazaki's works never fail to make the audience fall in love. While waiting for this film to be released in Indonesia, let's find out interesting facts about 'THE BOY AND THE HERON'.

1. Manual Drawing by Hayao Miyazaki

instagram.com/gkidsfilms/

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the founders of Studio Ghibli. Every animated film he works on always has exceptional story and visual quality. The film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON' is actually Miyazaki's work through manual drawing. This is not the first time for Miyazaki's films. One of the films that he directly drew manually is also found in the film 'PRINCESS MONONOKE' which was released in 1997.

In one of his interviews, Toshio Suzuki, the CEO of Ghibli and Producer, stated that they produced this film through manual drawing, which is why it took a lot of time to complete. He also explained that the film was also assisted by 60 animators who were able to create 1 minute of duration each month. That means for one year of work, they were still working on a duration of 12 minutes in the film.

2. Releasing a Film Without Promotion

IMDb

'THE BOY AND THE HERON' seems to be different from other Studio Ghibli films that do massive promotions before release. This film appears to have done little promotion. Before its premiere in Japan, Studio Ghibli only released a simple poster and the release date of the film. Even the official teaser for this film was only released on September 6, 2023.

3. Earning 13.2 Million USD in the First Week of Screening

Still cut THE BOY AND THE HERON (cr: instagram.com/gkidsfilms/)

Despite not doing massive promotions, the film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON' which has premiered in Japan has received positive responses from the audience. This is shown by the film's success in earning 13.2 million USD in its first week of screening. 

4. Inspired by the Novel 'HOW DO YOU LIVE?' by Genzaburo Yoshino

Cover novel 'HOW DO YOU LIVE' with art by Shoichi Haga (cr: Filmow)

Behind the story that can make the audience shed tears, it turns out that this film is inspired by a novel by Genzaburo Yoshino that tells the story of the life of a 15-year-old boy who is under the shadow of World War II. This novel also depicts the emotional and philosophical development of a child after the death of his father.

5. Reflecting Hayao Miyazaki's Childhood Life

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A story in a film is often not far from the stories of the storyteller himself, including the latest film by Hayao Miyazaki. In addition to being inspired by the novel 'HOW DO YOU LIVE' by Genzaburo Yoshino. The depiction of the character of the main character, Mahito, is also a visualization of Hayao Miyazaki's childhood. Not only that, the character Shoichi, who is Mahito's father, also has similarities with the father of the animator who also worked on producing aircraft body parts.

Not only the depiction of the characters that are similar, the storyline set during World War II is also one of the past stories experienced by Hayao Miyazaki when he had to evacuate to a village. The same story also happens in the film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON'.

6. Rumored to be Hayao Miyazaki's Last Work

Hayao Miyazaki (credit:instagram.com/gkidsfilms/)

Previously, there were many rumors stating that the film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON' is the last work of the legendary animator, Hayao Miyazaki. However, this rumor was immediately debunked by the Vice President of Studio Ghibli, Junichi Nishioka, at the Toronto International Film Festival. He stated that Hayao Miyazaki is currently involved in new ideas for other Studio Ghibli animated films.

So those are some interesting facts behind the success of the film 'THE BOY AND THE HERON'. Hopefully, this film can also be screened in Indonesia.

7. Also watch the trailer for 'THE BOY AND THE HERON'!

(kpl/gta)