GKIDS, the acclaimed animation producer and distributor, has announced its acquisition of the North American distribution rights to “The Boy and the Heron,” the latest release from Hayao Miyazaki, the Oscar-winning director of “Spirited Away” and “The Wind Rises” and the co-founder of legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. A North American release is planned for later this year, meaning it will qualify for next year’s Academy Awards.
The film, which is being released in Japan without any trailers, TV spots or even official synopses (the Japanese title is “How Do You Live”), will be produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki and features a musical score by longtime collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
According to the official release: “In an unprecedented decision by Studio Ghibli, no images, trailers, synopses, advertisements, or other information about the film have been made available to the public prior to its release in theaters in Japan. In keeping with this policy, GKIDS will not release any further details or marketing materials at this time.”
“The Boy and the Heron” marks the first Miyazaki film since 2013’s Oscar-nominated “The Wind Rises” and the first since Miyazaki declared that he had retired from the business. If anything the Studio Ghibli brand has gained even more importance during these quieter years – an interactive, multi-part Studio Ghibli-themed park has opened in Japan and the classic movies have become a staple thanks to their appearance (for now at least) on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max platform. (Before it became Max, Studio Ghibli had its own tile, but in the redesign that sadly went away.)
Miyazaki, of course, started his career working on television series in the ’60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. His first feature was 1979’s “The Castle of Cagliostro,” which featured the Lupin III character. “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” is what we would think of as the first true Miyazaki feature and, although it was produced before the formation of Studio Ghibli, is largely lumped in with the rest of the studio’s output, thanks largely to its gorgeous design-work and fanciful storytelling.
The company gained more prominence in the West when, in 1996, fueled by the urging of Pixar big wig John Lasseter, Disney started distributing Studio Ghibli movies in America, with Pixar filmmakers overseeing elaborate dubs of the projects, bringing in top talent to help. (Neil Gaiman, for instance, wrote the Westernized script for the “Princess Mononoke” release that Miramax did in 1999.) If they had a breakthrough moment, it was probably “Spirited Away” winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2003. Two more Miyazaki-directed films would be nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar: “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “The Wind Rises.” Additional Studio Ghibli films, like “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya” (directed by Studio Ghibli’s late, great co-founder Isao Takahata) and “When Marnie Was There,” have also been nominated.
The mystique surrounding “The Boy and the Heron,” not to mention its place as potentially the last Miyazaki film ever, has only intensified the global anticipation for the film. It’s good to know that it will be arriving on American shores soon.
