If this is Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, then it’s a masterpiece that soars high.
Hayao Miyazaki is the Japanese filmmaker who has made a name for himself in the animation world. “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and “The Wind Rises” are among his many films to be inspired by nature, fantasy, pacifism, feminism, love, and family. And he sticks to traditional animation with help from computers and gifted artists, who are all able to bring his fantasies to life.
“The Wind Rises” was the last film he made back in 2013, and a decade later, he has created what could be his final masterpiece called “The Boy and the Heron.” It happens to be a gorgeous and magical experience that ranks with his best in his filmography. It never resort to typical Hollywood cliches, but actually takes us inside the fantasy world where we question our humanity. I know it’s something he usually explores in his films, but each journey is like a trip to an alternate reality when you think you know characters but you don’t know where they are going, and you know something magical will emerge.
Set in 1943, we meet young Mahito Maki, whose mother dies in a hospital fire, and his factory owner father Shoichi marries her younger sister Natsuko. They’re forced to evacuate Tokyo during the war, and reside in her estate in the countryside with several old maids. The young man has a difficult time adjusting to his new environment, while his new mother is pregnant. And then he’s greeted by a talking grey heron, who claims that his mother is alive.
Mahito knows he’s pulling his leg, and he makes a bow and arrow with help from the heron’s feather. When Natsuko disappears, he and one of the maids Kiriko follow the bird in a tower built by his architect Granduncle. But then, underneath his exterior, the heron turns out to be a short man with a nose bigger than Jimmy Durante’s, and he leads Mahito in a parallel world underneath his, one that connects both life and death.
In this reality, there’s a younger, nautical version of Kiriko, giant man-eating parakeets who are under the leadership of their Parakeet King, bubble-like spirits known as Warawara, which float up to Mahito’s world to be born as human babies, and a young lady named Himi who can use fire powers to keep the hungry pelicans away from the Warawara.
The English dubbed voice cast consists of Luca Padovan as Mahito, Robert Pattinson as the Heron, Karen Fukuhara as Himi, Christian Bale as Shoichi, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Florence Pugh as Kirika, Dave Bautista as the Parakeet King, Mark Hamill as the Granduncle, Willem Dafoe as a dying pelican, and various parakeets are voiced by the likes Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens. I saw the Japanese dub first, and I intend to hear the English dub, but either way, these characters are all reflected by Miyazaki’s visions and are able to adapt to the mood and tones.
“The Boy and the Heron” is an animation miracle that’s eye-popping and challenging. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the story, and I was taken inside the fantasy world and even the real world, because there’s complexity and truth on both sides of the equation. You probably never have seen a kid like Mahito, who is more than just your standard movie kid, but rather a persistent one who is willing to take risks to set things straight.
The animation really merges with reality, as it shows us the true settings of a fire, and how things can get blurry. The colors of the parakeets are like a rainbow that has its darkness, especially if these giant birds are poised to eat people. And there’s a delicate balance of how humans and nature can spin out of the control. Miyazaki is a gifted artist, and he always has been.
Roger Ebert would have loved this movie.
Now Playing in Select Theaters
Expands on December 8