Less than a week after Studio Ghibli's Oscar-winning "The Boy and the Heron" made its streaming debut on Max, the streamer released a new documentary that dives into the film's seven-year production period and how it became legendary director Hayao Miyazaki's most personal project to date.
"Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" had its world premiere at the Cannes Festival in France earlier this year, but its arrival on Max was much more low-key. The French animation outlet Catsuka first spotted the 2-hour-long documentary on Max after a fan page drew attention to it in a thread on X (formerly Twitter). It features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of "The Boy and the Heron's" winding production process, offering a window into the heart of Miyazaki's creative process and the "intricate dance of friendship and deception" between him and long-time producer and fellow Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki.
Prolific Ghibli documentarian Kaku Arakawa is once again at the helm, having previously produced several documentaries and mini-series about the legendary animator, including "How Ponyo Was Born" (2009), "Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki," and "10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki" (2019).
What is 'Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron' about?
You can check out the film's official trailer trailer on the Cannes Film Festival's website. The official synopsis reads: "Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron is a two-hour documentary that chronicles the making of The Boy and the Heron, filmed with exclusive access to Studio Ghibli across an astonishing seven years. It is also a record of the collaboration between filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki as they perform an intricate dance of deception and friendship, mirroring that of Mahito and the Heron, as Suzuki pushes Miyazaki ever further into his creativity, ultimately delivering an unprecedented masterpiece."
"The Boy and the Heron," which you can also watch on Max, was initially conceived as Miyazaki's last full-length film after he announced his short-lived retirement in 2013. Production began in 2017 and later faced delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic before being completed in late 2022.
This documentary explores how his relationship with Suzuki, who has worked alongside Miyazaki since 1984's "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," mirrors that of the film's headstrong protagonist Mahito and the duplicitous Heron that lures him into a fantasy world outside of space and time.
At times it's a more somber picture of the award-winning animator than you would expect. You see Miyazaki express frustration as he struggles to wrap his head around what the movie is about, at one point concluding that "his brain is broken." His tumultuous creative process affects Suzuki as well, who states: "Whenever I'm around him, he's traveling between fantasy and reality and losing the ability to tell them apart."
The final product undeniably showcases several parallels between the animator and his work, combining the excitement of a young boy's imaginative, fantastical adventure with the weight of an older man's reflection. "The Boy and the Heron" would go on to net Miyazaki his second Oscar for Best Animated Feature, the first since 2002's "Spirited Away." The film's Japanese name roughly translates to "How do you live?" and Miyasaki has said in interviews he was inspired to make it because he didn't have an answer to that question. Suzuki has also said Miyazaki wanted to make the film for his grandson as a way of saying goodbye as he nears the end of his life.
Should you stream 'Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron'?
Arakawa's documentaries are always heartfelt affairs, but "Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" really sets a new bar. It's the perfect tribute to one of the most prolific minds the animation world has ever known, and if you enjoyed "The Boy and the Heron" or any of Miyazaki's other works, you should absolutely add this documentary to your watchlist.
If you've yet to check out Studio Ghibli's latest film but plan to, let me point you to a helpful explainer of what I wish I knew before seeing "The Boy and the Heron." It's a terrific movie, don't get me wrong, just one that's much better enjoyed with the right expectations going in.
You can watch both "Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" and "The Boy and the Heron" right now on Max.
