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Animated movie ‘Heron and Youth’: Hayao Miyazaki’s Rebirth of Brilliance
In 2023, a highly anticipated Japanese animated film called “The Heron and the Boy” caused quite a sensation in the film industry. This movie is directed by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.
The name of the movie was inspired by the novel “What kind of life do you want to live” published by Genzaburo Yoshino in 1937. Although the movie title references the book, the story itself is an original work by Hayao Miyazaki, telling a fantastical adventure journey.
A mysterious exploration journey
The plot of the film revolves around a young boy who, after a family accident, unexpectedly meets a talking heron. As the story progresses, the boy is guided into an incredible world and embarks on a wonderful journey of exploration.
This movie is not just a visual feast, but also explores the complex issues of life, growth, and humanity through Hayao Miyazaki’s usual delicate narrative.
Mysterious promotional strategy triggers fan frenzy
Before the official release of ‘The Heron and the Boy’, the content of this movie was almost kept confidential to the extreme. The promotion method of the film is extremely mysterious, and Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli only released a simple poster online, revealing almost no specific information about the film. Nevertheless, this’ zero publicity ‘strategy did not affect the popularity of the film, but instead deepened the expectations and curiosity of fans.
This unique marketing approach not only did not have a negative impact on the box office, but also enabled the film to achieve astonishing success. After its release, the film achieved a box office success of up to 9.34 billion yen in Japan alone, becoming one of the highly anticipated animated works of the year.
Moving towards the international stage and winning the Oscar award
The film ‘The Heron and the Boy’ has not only gained widespread recognition in Japan, but also achieved significant success in the international film industry. At the 96th Academy Awards, this film defeated several strong competitors and won the “Best Animated Feature Film” award. This is not only the success of the film itself, but also another glory of Hayao Miyazaki.
It is worth mentioning that this award makes Hayao Miyazaki the first Asian director to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film twice, further consolidating his unshakable position in the global animated film industry.
Streaming platform launched, must watch animated movies in October
As time goes by, ‘The Heron and the Boy’ will soon be released on the globally renowned streaming platform Netflix on October 7, 2024. This is undoubtedly a great opportunity for movie fans to revisit classics. For those who have not yet watched this film in theaters, the launch of Netflix gives them the opportunity to appreciate the charm of this animated masterpiece.
This movie is not only suitable for fans who have watched it in theaters for second or third viewing, but it will also definitely become a must see on the October viewing list. Hayao Miyazaki’s works have always been known for their profound ideological connotations and exquisite visuals, and “The Heron and the Boy” continues this style, showcasing his unique understanding and innovation of animated films.
The Heron and the Boy “is another touching animated work created by Hayao Miyazaki with great care. From mysterious promotional strategies to successful box office performance, and even Oscar honors, this film undoubtedly proves the enormous influence of Hayao Miyazaki and his works in the hearts of global fans. With the release of the film on Netflix, this animated movie will become a must watch for both former fans and new viewers.