First, a trigger warning: do not watch The Boy and the Heron on psychedelics. Hayao Miyazaki has returned from retirement with a real visual acid trip, full of breathtaking landscapes of cliffs with pounding waves and Hieronymus Bosch-like castle staircases.
Partly based on Miyazaki’s own childhood, it begins in Tokyo during World War II where a young boy – Mahito (voiced by Luca Padovan in the English dub) – witnesses the bombing of the hospital where his mother is an inpatient. Cut to a few months later and Mahito and his father (Christian Bale) have moved to the countryside, where dad has remarried Mahito’s aunt Natsuko. Here, Mahito must come to terms with his mother’s death, and accept his new family. Which is where the magic starts.
After being taunted by a frightening heron with a grotesque grin of tombstone-sized human teeth, Mahito discovers a boarded-up tower in the grounds of the house. Despite warnings that the tower is bad news, he’s drawn in by its sinister aura. Soon Natsuko is also taken by the tower and Mahito realises that he has to save her.
Inside, he meets massive people-eating parakeets, a helpful, robust fisherwoman, adorable and benevolent marshmallow-looking creatures, and a girl named Himi who has magical fire-rendering powers.
Hayao Miyazaki has returned from retirement with a real visual acid trip
This enchanted world oscillates between light and darkness. Heavier themes of grief and war are balanced with funny moments. There are comically dull-witted parakeets, who drool over the humans with knives and forks but are easily outwitted. The dastardly heron also offers light relief when he breaks his beak and can longer fly, having to waddle along in his human form.
With sprinklings of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pan’s Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland, Miyazaki has conjured up another fantastical adventure that meditates deeply on mortality. As the magical and the real worlds intersect, life gains new meaning for some of his characters. But with all these tiny details, and new layers and ideas constantly being added, it can be tricky to keep up – especially for younger viewers.
Ultimately, though, The Boy and the Heron is yet another testament to Miyazaki’s evergreen ability to embrace philosophical themes with boundless imagination. Jaw-dropping visuals, tender moments, and a pinch of comedy make it the perfect Christmas treat for Ghibli fans.
In US theaters Dec 8, Australian theatres Dec 7, and UK cinemas Dec 26.
