Hayao Miyazaki's most recently released Studio Ghibli movie, The Boy and the Heron, is proving to be an astonishing box-office hit. The film has received incredible success, both in the United States and globally. The Boy and the Heron shattering past Ghibli records prove it's been enjoyed by fans worldwide for its powerful messages about love, grief, fear, and loss, breathtaking animation style, beautiful musical score, and complex, intriguing characters.
The Boy and the Heron premiered in theaters in the United States on December 8, 2023. According to Anime News Network, since its release, it has earned an astonishing $44,237,878 at the United States box office. This impressive milestone has earned Miyazaki's film the title of #3 highest-grossing anime film of all time, a phenomenal achievement.
The only higher-ranked films on this list are Pokémon: The First Movie, released in 1998, which earned $85.7 million at the U.S. box office and Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train, released in 2021, which earned $49.5 million at the U.S. box office.
Not only did The Boy and the Heron reach the status of #3 top-grossing anime film worldwide, but it has also been nominated for several impressive awards. The movie received a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. Miyazaki's incredible film also won the 81st Golden Globes Awards' Best Motion Picture - Animated award. Other honors the movie has acquired include awards from the 78th Mainichi Film Awards, Boston Society of Film Critics, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Florida Film Critics Circle, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association, as well as other nominations.
The Boy and the Heron's plot and characters are dynamic and interesting. The story is centered around a boy named Mahito. Throughout the film, he struggles with complex issues. These include coping with the loss of his mother after her untimely death, learning to accept his new stepmother, and dealing with a persistent heron that continually taps on his window, beckoning him into the unexplored land of his new home. Like all Studio Ghibli films, The Boy and the Heron uses a blend of magical creatures, fantasy worlds, and heartfelt interactions between characters to create an award-winning masterpiece.
Miyazaki's film, The Boy and the Heron is widely appreciated and beloved by fans across the globe, for good reason. The messages about love, loss, grief, old age, and growing and changing as a person are human and relatable. Miyazaki handles these heavy topics carefully and respectfully, creating a truly beautiful movie that is worthy of great awe and admiration. Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron is undoubtedly well-deserving of all the records it has broken, awards it has received and been nominated for, and praise and accolades it has enjoyed over the past few months.
Source: Anime News Network
Billed as the final work of famed animator Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron is a drama-fantasy film that follows a young boy named Mahito who contends with grief following the passing of his mother during World War II. Forced to evacuate to the countryside amid the war, Mahito struggles to fit into his new environment and contend with his new stepmother. However, Mahito's life is changed after meeting a strange talking Heron - setting him on a journey of self-discovery filled with magic.
