GKIDS Films announces that The Boy and the Heron from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki will premiere on December 8 in theaters across North America. The anime film will release roughly six months after its July 14 premiere in Japan.
The Boy and the Heron is Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in roughly 10 years, and the iconic composer Joe Hisaishi returned to score the film’s soundtrack for his long-time friend. This is one of Miyazaki’s highest grossing films ever in Japan with nearly 8 billion yen. This holiday season, fans in the west will finally be able to watch the film for the first time.
The Boy and the Heron Comes to Theaters Nationwide
The latest film from Hayao Miyazaki will premiere on December 8 in theaters and IMAX across the US and Canada. Special preview screenings of The Boy and the Heron are planned for November 22 at select locations. The New York Film Festival will also host the U.S. premiere as part of its “Official Selection” this year. This particular event takes place from September 29 to October 15. While fans wait for more information, GKIDS Films released a new teaser trailer for the film’s western release.
Watch the new teaser trailer below.
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron is a hand-drawn, original story written and directed by the Academy Award-winning director. The film is produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki with a musical score by Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator, Joe Hisaishi. Global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu wrote and performed the theme song “Spinning Globe”. Fans may recognize Yonezu’s most recent song “Moongazing” from Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI.
Here’s an overview of the upcoming film, courtesy of GKIDS Films:
A young boy named Mahito
yearning for his mother
ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.
There, death comes to an end,
and life finds a new beginning.
A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
© 2023 Studio Ghibli
