The Boy and The Heron | Hayao Miyazaki, 2023

The Boy and The Heron is a movie that earns its screen time through a combination of stunning visuals, unique characters, and a deep narrative. There already exists a deep catalog of reviews on this movie breaking down it's symbolism and structure, peeling back the layers of Miyazaki's genius storytelling. This however, will not be one of those reviews. Instead, I would rather document the way this movie made me feel from a visual standpoint.

The opening of the film throws us into chaos, war, and destruction. The color pallette is a swirl of browns and greys as the deep orange fire blurs the characters into landscape. I love the way this particular Ghibli movie evolves in the way that the colors and animation styles subtly blend together as the story progresses from the real world to the spirit realm. The bustling sceneries we are presented with in both scenarios feel lively and bursting with character due to the vibrant blend of colors that practically glide their way off of the screen.

The character design in this movie is so appealing to me. The way that the herons large nose bloats from underneath his beak, revealing more of himself each time he speaks. Or how Mahito's grey uniform and scruffy black hair wildly blow in the wind. Even the ominous figure of the Grand Uncle looming over Mahito is striking in a way that makes this movie stand out amongst other Miyazaki films.

That being said, I do feel this movie draws a lot of inspiration from one of the studios largest successes, 'Spirited Away'. It's not quite enough to be derivative, but Mahito's journey feels very similar in nature to Chihiro's. The relationship between Mahito and the Grey Heron parallels that of Chihiro and No-Face in many instances throughout the runtime of this movie. However, I don't know if I mind Miyazaki playing of the nostalgia of one of his best bodies of work, so do with that information what you will.

Ultimately, I was swept away by the stunning visuals of this movie. It feels vibrant and liminal simultaneously wrapped in a blanket of familiarity. At times, I found the landscapes and characters so appealing that it distracted me from the larger narrative of the movie. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, considering it only lends itself to be watched many times over. The voice acting is backed by an incredible cast, the animation styles are crisp and clean, and each character can be discussed and dissected which generates great conversation around the movie itself.

I rate this movie a 3.5/5 stars on letterboxd, with the understanding the score will likely rise the more I return to this as a comfort movie. This is a film whose world demands to be

re-experienced and reanalyzed for some time to come. I would highly recommend it both for people who are familiar with Studio Ghibli movies as well as those who haven't viewed one yet.

What did you think of this movie? What do you think is the best Studio Ghibli movie? Leave a comment/review below and give a star rating for how much you agree with my takes!

Published by Logan Kern on 7/18/26

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