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On Wednesday, July 27, 2023, it was announced that Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron anime film is set to premiere internationally at the Toronto Film Festival. The film will be released on September 7, the first day of the festival, and will serve as the festival’s opening night film, screened at the Roy Thomson Hall.
While The Boy and the Heron may reportedly be Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, it’s far from the first Miyazaki and/or Studio Ghibli film to be screened at the festival. Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, The Red Turtle, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, The Wind Rises, and From Up on Poppy Hill have all been screened at previous festivals.
However, The Boy and the Heron’s opening night screening status for the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival will mark a first in another category. Interestingly, according to various reports, the film’s screening will mark the first time a Japanese film or an animated film opens the festival.
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The Boy and the Heron is set to make history as the potentially last Miyazaki film to appear at Toronto Film Festival
The 48th Toronto International Film Festival will be held in Toronto, Canada, from September 7 to September 13, 2023. With The Boy and the Heron set to make history in the opening festival’s opening screening category, it’s fitting for such an achievement to come from what will be Miyazaki’s final film.
The film is also Miyazaki’s first in 10 years and opened in Japan on Friday, July 14, 2023. It has so far earned over 4 billion yen or more than 2.6 million admissions during its opening run, and it is still ongoing. Moreover, it was reported on the day of the film’s release that GKIDS will distribute the film to North American territories in 2023.
Prior to the film’s release, no marketing was done or information was leaked for The Boy and the Heron. This was a deliberate choice by Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli team behind the film, who wanted to take a unique approach to pre-release marketing for the film. Even as basic advertisements as those seen in newspapers were forgone to make for a unique approach to the film’s promotion. Thankfully, fans got some cast, staff, and plot information on the film’s Japanese release day.
The Boy and the Heron follows the story of Mahito Maki, voiced by Soma Santoki. Mahito is a young boy growing up in Japan during World War II and loses his mother during the Tokyo firebombings. He and his father then moved to the countryside, where his father remarries to his late wife’s pregnant sister. As Mahito struggles with his new life, he meets a talking heron, who convinces him to enter another world with the promise of seeing his mother again.
Miyazaki is credited with the original work as well as directing the film and writing the script. Takeshi Honda is the animation director, with Joe Hisaishi having composed the music, and Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki serving as the film's producer.
Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
