‘The Boy And The Heron’ Review: Hayao Miyazaki’s Mysterious Tale Of Loss And Wonder – Toronto Film Festival
deadline.comIn cinema, few names are as iconic as Hayao Miyazaki, and his latest adventure carries the weight of expectation. Drawing inspiration from the mysticism of Japanese folklore and grounded in the pain of personal loss, The Boy and the Heron, which opened the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, is a visual spectacle that rekindles the art of 2D animation in an era dominated by the digital.
It is a bit of a mixed bag as there are moments of beauty along with narrative missteps. From Studio Ghibli’s signature heartwarming touches to a plot that might perplex, this visual stunner undeniably reaffirms Miyazaki’s status as one of the world’s most beloved filmmakers.
The film starts with Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) waking up to the sound of warning sirens. There is a fire in the town hospital that belongs to his mother.
He tries to help put out the fire, but he’s too late and the burning building collapses with his mother inside. Four years later, Mahito and his father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) move to a new town where his pregnant new wife Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) lives.
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