Like many a great artist, the legendary Japanese filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki has retired more than once, only to be drawn back into the game, much to the benefit of legions of fans. The 82-year-old Miyazaki delivered a “final” film multiple times over the years, most recently with the 2013 masterpiece “The Wind Rises,” which seemed like the perfect farewell — but it’s our joy to report Miyazaki has gifted the world with another film, the elegant, beautiful, soaring and deeply personal “The Boy and the Heron.”
While this period-piece, existential fantasy adventure doesn’t rank with the absolute finest entries in Miyazaki’s iconic canon, it’s still one of the most inventive and creative films, animated or otherwise, of the year.
