MARIA SIMPSON / COPY EDITOR

This holiday season, Studio Ghibli is releasing a new film titled “The Boy and the Heron.” Set to officially release in theaters across the U.S. on Dec. 8, the movie holds significance for Ghibli fans and for the team behind the movie.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1985. Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata — both directors — and producer Toshio Suzuki were the three founders of the studio. At least one of them has worked on every Ghibli movie released since the studio’s establishment. In Sept. 2013, Miyazaki announced his retirement at a press conference. 

“I know I’ve said I would retire many times in the past. Many of you must think, ‘Once again.’ But this time I am quite serious,” Miyazaki said. 

His departure shook the studio, leaving many uncertain that it could live on in his absence. That absence, however, did not last long —  contrary to Miyazaki’s statement. In 2017 Suzuki announced that Miyazaki would, once again, exit retirement to work on a new feature film,“The Boy and the Heron.”

“The Boy and the Heron,” titled “Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka” (or “How Do You Live?”) in Japan, is described as a semi-autobiographical film, inspired by Miyazaki’s early childhood years growing up during World War II in the Asia-Pacific theater. The film follows a young boy named Mahito, who finds his way into a strange new world, after meeting a talking heron. 

The film was released earlier in 2023 in Japan, with almost no marketing leading up to its July release date — save one poster with few hints as to what the movie would be about. Since “The Boy and the Heron” is potentially Miyazaki’s last film, the film’s minimal marketing seems to be intentional, according to Collider, an online entertainment publication.

“This wasn’t a reflection of a marketing campaign failing to get the word out about themovie’s arrival, but rather an intentional part of how Studio Ghibli wanted the film to go out.”

The vague and mysterious marketing seems to have paid off, as the film has already grossed $83.2 million, as of Nov. 30, according to Animation Magazine. In fact, according to Screen Daily, its opening weekend set a new record for Miyazaki, as the biggest opening weekend for one of his films. This shows that audiences were hungering for another Miyazaki film after a 10-year lull. With its global release to come, one can only expect the numbers to soar upward. 

It is no stretch to say that success for “The Boy and the Heron” was hoped for by its creators. According to Screen Daily, the 2023 Ghibli film is “the most expensive Japanese film ever made.” Budget was not the only obstacle that the movie faced either. “The Boy and the Heron” has supposedly been in the works since 2016. It was originally set to release in 2020, but due to challenges with COVID-19 and the choice to hand-draw the animation, it has been roughly seven years in the making. 

Studio Ghibli fans are excited to see the product that has been in development so long and to witness another one of Miyazaki’s creations. It will be left to see if it reaches the long-term success and popularity of his past films such as “Spirited Away” (2001) and “My Neighbor Totoro” (1988). Either way, the hand-drawn spectacle, the impressive English voice cast (including Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh among others), and the writing and direction of Hayao Miyazaki will continue to draw audiences to the theater.

The official poster for ‘The Boy and the Heron’ set to release in theaters on Dec. 8 in the U.S. Photo courtesy @theboyandtheheronfilm/Instagram