Fair use from GKIDS

Studio Ghibli is an animation studio based out of Tokyo, Japan. Responsible for movies such as “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro,” Studio Ghibli has become internationally recognized for its high quality in animation and storytelling. On Dec. 8, Studio Ghibli released the American dubbed version of their latest film, “The Boy and the Heron.”

The film follows a 12-year-old boy named Mahito (Luca Padovan). After his mother died in a tragic hospital fire, he and his father Shoichi (Christian Bale) move to a new town with his pregnant stepmother and aunt, Natsuko (Gemma Chan). After spending more and more time at his new home, Mahito comes in contact with a sketchy talking Gray Heron (Robert Pattinson), who tells him that his mother is in fact still alive. After his aunt disappears into the woods, the Gray Heron leads Mahito into a magical tower, said to have been created by his Granduncle. Mahito would soon be transported to another world while in search of his new mother, unaware of the journey ahead. 

When I first heard of the new Studio Ghibli movie, I was excited. As a kid I was a big fan of films such as “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Princess Mononoke,” so I was looking forward to seeing “The Boy and the Heron” in theaters when the dubbed version came out. I was impressed to say the least.

The cast for the film is exceedingly strong and talented with actors such as Mark Hamil, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Willem Defoe and more voicing the characters. There isn’t a role in the film that is quite as relevant as Mahito which makes sense. However, each actor does a great job at their part even if it’s not as important to the story. This allows the movie to have a better performance turnout overall because it’s easy to see that the same amount of commitment was put into each role.

Luca Padovan hasn’t been in much, but his performance in “The Boy and the Heron” motivates me to look into his other roles. He captured the character of Mahito, he perfectly portrayed the grief that one goes through when losing their mother and having to deal with the transition of a stepmother. He has incredible chemistry with each actor in the film and reacts just as a young boy would to an entire new world. He is full of wonder, and constantly asks questions about every little thing. 

The voice of the Gray Heron is very scratchy and deep. Robert Pattinson is one of the last people I would have expected to be behind the voice of this majestic bird. Pattinson does a great job of portraying the mischievous and deceiving qualities that the Heron is supposed to have, yet he also shows how the Heron cares for Mahito, and how he is meant to be his guardian throughout this journey.

Easily one of my favorite parts of the film was the score, written and composed by Joe Hisaishi who has composed many of the soundtracks for Studio Ghibli films. One song in particular blew me away. “The Great Collapse” plays at many points throughout the entirety of the movie. The piano and strings mix perfectly together, providing for a sound that feels inspiring. 

While the film excels in many ways, it felt a little rushed. The story could have been more spread out with a little more detail and narrative to it, but it was nonetheless breathtaking. The visuals were stunning, the music was inspiring and the story was unique. 

“The Boy and the Heron” is a movie that perfectly describes the importance of childhood, youth and adulthood. How life is beautiful, and how we shouldn’t take it for granted by distracting ourselves with the things that don’t matter. How grief and struggle contribute to who we are as people. 

“The Boy and the Heron” is now playing in theaters all over the United States. Some theaters show both Japanese and American versions of the film, allowing for viewers to watch the movie according to personal preference. 

“The Boy and the Heron”: ★★★★☆