The Boy and the Heron made history as the first Japanese film to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.

The film takes inspiration from the novel How Do You Live as well as director Hayao Miyazaki’s own life. The main character is a young boy named Mahito who is adjusting to his new life after his mother’s death. When a talking heron tells him that his mother is still alive, he follows the heron into a magical tower and is transported on a journey between the living and the dead. 

The film introduces an abundance of motifs and complex themes, the main ones being family, grief, and war. Mahito must deal with his trauma while also combating intergenerational pressure. Birds play a central role in expressing the negative effects of war by paralleling the soldiers and planes of World War 2. Because so much of what happens in the film has implicit meanings, the plot could be difficult to follow if you do not understand the symbolism right away. I appreciated that there was humor sprinkled in throughout to offset the more serious tones. This is definitely a film made for Studio Ghibli fans and not necessarily as an introductory or light watch. 

In conclusion, The Boy and the Heron was a beautifully animated and deeply meaningful film, and I give it an 8/10.