Studio Ghibli’s latest film The Boy and the Heron is coming to US theaters December 8th. It’s coming from the mind of beloved Hayao Miyazaki, a man known as the heart of Studio Ghibli. A semi-autobiographical story about life, death, and love follows a young boy named Mahito as he ventures into the world that exists between life and death.
Rumors of Hayao Miyazaki’s Retirement
When the film was first announced it was rumored that this would be Miyazaki’s final piece of work, but thankfully he’s against that idea and plans on continuing his beautiful legacy. Understandably, a majority of work executed under Studio Ghibli and especially through Miyazaki takes a while to come to life because it’s hand drawn. Perhaps the legend’s age (82 years) is what made fans speculate retirement, at least that’s what I worry about. Hopefully this truly is not the last we see of Miyazaki.
I believe in Miyazaki wanting to continue working on future films, but I worry about his age getting in the way of things. I feel like we could get at least one or two more films should he keep pushing the way he is, and when his true final film comes around it will be his greatest. Maybe his final film will even surpass his previous achievements. He definitely has the capability to change film history even more than he has through his mesmerizing visuals and storytelling.
Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Miyazaki’s Influential and Lovable Style
Miyazaki is well-known for the heartfelt stories and gorgeous scenery in Studio Ghibli’s major titles including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. His films have changed the world of animation. They’ve inspired artists, filmmakers, video game creators, and touched the hearts of people all over the world.
I’m still trying to work through watching all Studio Ghibli films, but my personal favorite is My Neighbor Totoro. His style is perfect for a cozy night in and usually aims to pull on your heart strings in ways you didn’t think were possible. His plots revolve around real-world touching subjects like war, greed, love, friendship, bravery, and is delivered through beautifully handcrafted artwork. The best part is there’s always some familiarity with what the characters endure, at least for me. Finally after 10 long years he’s releasing this new film and I have no doubt it will make me tear up and wish I spent my days as a character in his stories.
The Boy and the Heron’s Scores Celebrity English Dub Cast
The highly anticipated film’s English cast is jaw dropping. The line up includes major stars Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, actor/WWE star Dave Bautista and a few more recognizable gems. This film includes two different Batmen and a Joker – it’s pretty unexpected but it’s exciting to look forward to. The male actors casted for this film are frequently seen in very dramatic action-packed stories like Guardians of the Galaxy, Spiderman, and Batman, so it’ll be interesting what type of roles their characters play for this plot.
Willem Dafoe at the Toronto International Film Festival opening of The Boy and the Heron.
Although I prefer to watch anime in subbed in order to feel the authenticity of the dialogue, I’m excited to watch this cast help the film push to greatness. Sometimes anime English dubbed versions have over-exaggerated or unserious voice acting which takes away from the story. With this lineup, I feel like things will be much more genuine and in tune with the original Japanese version. I am a fan of the casting and voice acting done for Ghibli’s English dub of Arrietty which had Disney stars Bridgit Mendler, Moises Arias, and David Henrie. I have high hopes that this cast will do the film justice and not butcher the importance of the dialogue that a Ghibli film contains.
Release Date for US Premier
After premiering earlier this year in Japan, under the title How do you Live?, The Boy and the Heron has been making its’ way through other countries before finally reaching the US. On December 8th, you’ll be able to watch Miyazaki’s creativity come to life on the big screen at a theater near you. Since it’s been previously released in other places, there are already some raving reviews of the film. Be sure to check out your local theaters as the film is having an early access (subbed) fan event on December 6th! It would be interesting to compare the two versions.
