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Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron made history this past month. The film has received a number of awards and nominations adding more feathers to the director's cap. Its massive box office success is a testament to why Miyazaki has been labeled as one of Japan's finest filmmakers.
The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Music category and then won a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Animated. However, all these are just the tip of the iceberg, with the film receiving 52 award nominations and winning awards in 17 of them.
The Boy and The Heron follows 12-year-old Mahito who struggles to fit in to a new town after his mother's passing. However, things take a turn when a talking Heron appears and informs him that his mother might still be alive. In search of his mother, Mahito enters an abandoned tower which happens to be a gateway to another world.
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The Boy and The Heron have a star-studded cast for both the sub and the dub. Sub included the talents of Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki, Yoshino Kimura, and Aimyon among others. The voices for the dub have been provided by Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Karen Fukuhara, and more.
All in all, is it no surprise that Hayao Miyazaki's film turned out to be a masterpiece with its visualization and music, which contributed to its staggering success.
The Boy and The Heron: Every award the film won
1) Boston Society of Flim Critics Awards
Hayao Miyazaki's film won the award for Best Animated Film at the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards. It was founded in 1981 to voice Boston’s unique critical perspective on the national and international stage. It does so by recognizing commendations to the best of the year’s films, filmmakers, local film theaters, and film societies that offer top-notch film programming.
2) Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is a group of 31 print, radio/TV, and internet journalists from Dallas-Fort Worth-based publications. They meet in December of each year to vote on films released in the same year. Their choice for 2023 was Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron's stunning visuals and expert storytelling.
3) Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece was the film that stole the hearts of critics and earned itself the award of Best Film. Along with it, crew member Joe Hisaishi was also recognized with the honor of the Best Score. The Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) is made up of 30 film critics from Florida-based print and online publications.
Similar to Dallas-Fort Worth, they meet at the end of each year and vote on outstanding achievements in films released that year.
4) Golden Globes, USA
Likely the highest honor on this list, the film made headlines when it received the award for Best Picture - Animated at the Golden Globes 2023. This is an annual award ceremony held to bestow accolades on excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 1914, it honors artists, professionals, and their work.
5) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association constitutes film critics from Los Angeles-based print and electronic media. As usual, they meet in December each year to vote on and honor members of the film industry who have shone in their fields over the past year. In 2023, Miyazaki's film was chosen for "Best Animation 2023".
6) National Board of Review, USA
A tad different from typical award ceremonies, the National Board of Review stands as a non-profit organization of New York City film lovers. Announced in the initial bit of December, its awards are believed to be an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminates in the Academy Awards.
This time, the New York City film lovers could not get enough of The Boy and The Heron and bestowed upon it the Top Films - 2023 Award.
7) New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Founded by Wanda Hale in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is a film critic organization. Membership is made up of 30 New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They gather in December to give recognition to excellence in cinema worldwide for the past year.
The winner of 2023's Best Animated Film was Hayao Miyazaki's film. They were taken up by its exquisite storytelling and unique worldview.
8) San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
The San Diego Film Critics Society is made up of print, television, radio, and digital film critics working in San Diego County, founded in 1997. They aim to provide varied critical opinions about movies, further film study, and awareness, and acknowledge excellence in cinema.
This past year, Hayao Miyazaki's film was the one to bag the award of the Best Animated Film 2023.
9) Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Similar to the National Board of Review, founded in 2006, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists is also a non-profit organization. Based in the Big Apple, it is committed to supporting work by and about women in the film industry. In 2024, Hayao Miyazaki's film was recognized as Best Animated Film and he was called upon to receive the honor.
10) Imagine Film Festival, NL
Previously known as the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, the Imagine Film Festival is also known as the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, or just Imagine. It is a film festival that is held annually in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It began in 1991, focusing majorly on the fantasy and horror genre before expanding into other categories.
This time around, by popular vote, the audience choice award went to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron. It floored viewers and garnered maximum votes to grab the win.
11) Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards
The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards is a group of film critics from Philadelphia-based print and electronic media. It nominates and selects annual awards for the best films of the year. For the year 2023, Miyazaki's film received 2 awards, namely Best Animated Film and Best Foreign Language Film.
12) New Mexico Film Critics
New Mexico Film Critics is once again a mix of film critics from various modes of media such as digital, print, television, and radio. They gather once a year and vote to select the best films for the past year to honor artists and their work. This past year it was Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece that won the award for Best Animated Film.
13) Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards
The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association is a collective of WNY film critics from in and around the Buffalo and Rochester metropolitan areas with a love for the cinematic art form. It was founded in 2018 to bring the disparate voices from the area together. It included writers from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and online venues.
Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron received the award for "Best Animated Film 2024" and a nomination for Best Foreign Film 2024.
14) Astra Film Awards
The Astra Film Awards are presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance. Previously called the Hollywood Critics Association, it was rebranded as the Hollywood Creative Alliance and named its signature awards show The Astra Awards. Among many notable films this past year, director Hayao Miyazaki received the award for Best International Filmmaker for The Boy and The Heron.
