Miyazaki’s Beloved Dreamscape Continues

The Boy and the Heron in IMAX is a gorgeous experience

Hello, Explorers of the Unknown!

It’s not often in North America that you get one Japanese import in IMAX as we did with Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume last spring. But two in one week? My cup runneth over, Japan!

This week, we got the US release of Godzilla Minus One and the latest Miyazaki film, The Boy and the Heron. Both are great, both are subtitled, and both are in theaters for a very short run. So if you want to take in the spectacle of these movies large and loud and without the distractions of watching at home, get your tickets now!

Sterling

PS. I was hoping to do a write up on Godzilla as well, but after doing all the research into The Boy and the Heron, I have run out of time to do both. Just rest assured, the new Godzilla is far more worth your time than most of the recent American Godzilla/Kong movies aspire to be. Don’t lump it in the same category as those films. If you want a good Godzilla film in the theater worth your time and money, this is your shot.

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The Boy and the Heron, Toho Studios.

The Boy and the Heron

Format: Animated film

Director & Writer: Hayao Miyazaki

Animation Director: Takeshi Honda

Where to watch: the movie theater

If you are a long time fan of Studio Ghibli films as I am, you have probably been waiting on bated breath for this film to reach your eyes and ears. The Boy and the Heron marks Hayao Miyazaki’s second “last” full length film after his last “last” full length film, The Wind Rises (2014.) The man just can’t seem to bring himself to hang up his drawing apron and relax the way he claimed he wanted to. If you watched the documentary, Never-Ending Man (2016), you see how this old curmudgeon is simply too creative to not keep making beautiful art.

After working on a short film using some new technologies he was not especially fond of, Miyazaki eventually comes to the conclusion that he’s probably not going to stop there, and he introduces a timeline to his colleagues for a new full length feature. As these movies take years to make, he made sure to point out the period on the timeline when he might die. For his fans desperately waiting to see what new magic this giant brings to the screen, this sardonic humor came with a heavy dose of grim reality. 

Hayao Miyazaki not stopping till he’s dropping.

Both his fans and colleagues know for a fact this man brings something to his stories that transcends even the most talented creators in animation today. Over the course of thirteen films, Miyazaki has managed to expand the imaginations and touch the hearts of millions with such a uniquely personal and bizarre vision that it is sometimes a wonder how it seems to appeal so much to so many. The Boy and the Heron fulfills all our expectations of that vision but dives deeper into Miyazaki’s personal past and artistic influences, perhaps more than any of his previous films combined. 

Upon a first viewing, you definitely get the sense there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. However, as with his previous films, there is just so much life, beauty, and terrifying surrealism coming at you that you have little choice but to surrender to Miyazaki’s magical narrative in the moment and ponder on it later. 

Cover for first English translation of “How Do You Live?”

I won’t get into too many spoiler details here, but after seeing the film, I did some research into the background. The Japanese title for the film translates to “How Do You Live?” which is also the title of a morality book written in 1937 meant for teaching youths in Japan. Miyazaki’s mother gave him the book when he was young growing up during and in the aftermath of World War II. While the book makes an appearance in the movie, the story is not a direct adaptation and only loosely references some themes and characters. Having not read the story myself, it is still clear it had a pivotal influence on Miyazaki and his worldviews. 

I watched a video on YouTube where the creator lists all the film’s references to “How Do You Live?”, other books, films, and works of art. I would recommend watching the movie before you watch that video, but I will note that the depth is astounding. Everything from Federico Fellini’s 8 & ½ to Dante’s Inferno is in there. As a man facing his imminent mortal end, it is only natural that Miyazaki’s film would spend time exploring themes of life, death, and rebirth, the power & futility of creativity, and passing the mantle of worldly responsibility to the next generation. 

The story, albeit abstractly, digs deep into Miyazaki’s personal experiences that are sometimes referenced in other films: Tokyo on fire during the war, his experience worrying for his mother sick with Tuberculosis during his youth, his father’s work building airplanes in a factory, etc. 

Particularly in the first half of the movie, you can appreciate some what you can tell must be some of Miyazaki’s real life sense memories from childhood. Things like the sounds of footsteps walking through a wooden house; vibrations of getting in and out of clunky metal cars; creaky windows that are stiff and difficult to close. These are the kinds of focused details that have always brought charm to the Ghibli films, but in this particular film, it felt (for me at least) that these moments were some of the most direct windows into Miyazaki’s own life experience we have seen.

In an interview, one of the animators, Toshiyuki Inoue, discusses some of the behind-the-scenes processes. Toshiyuki had experience working with Miyazaki on Kiki’s Delivery Service, so he is able to provide some interesting insights into his directing process and how it has evolved over the years. He talks a lot about how the influence and styles of individual animators can be seen throughout the movie which, to some degree, may be due to a softening of Miyazaki’s normally hard handed direction over his animators. 

Toshiyuki points out how toward the end of the production, Miyazaki’s age was starting to show in his work. At times when he may have revised scenes himself, Miyazaki handed many of these responsibilities off to Takeshi Honda, the animation director.

Despite this less dominant influence on the process, Miyazaki’s vision in the film still feels as potent as ever. It checks all your favorite Studio Ghibli boxes: serene backdrops of nature, weathered old buildings, ugly but adorable little old people, bizarre magical animals, wild surrealistic moments, cute kids, and the ever charming preparation and consumption of delicious foods. 

I would say you may still be able to appreciate this film’s beauty when it is available to watch at home, but if you are a real fan of Miyazaki’s films, I say take the time to go appreciate it in a dark theater and on a large screen. You won’t be disappointed. 

If you do see the film, be prepared to wonder about the meaning of it all. There are so many wild moments that feel more like visual experiences rather than structured plot points, so at times you will feel lost and wonder about what exactly is going on. However, trust in the fact that this is actually by design. As Toshiyuki says in his interview:

“Yes, it might be difficult to understand but it’s a good film overall. There might be some strange parts in the second half, but it raises some truly interesting questions, and I think it’s what makes the film so good. I don’t think it’s possible to understand all of it. Miyazaki himself said he doesn’t understand it all, so it’s not made to be understood…. and it’s good that way. You don’t need to understand everything about movies sometimes.”

As with myths and dreams, the film leaves room for you to consider what the symbols mean to you rather than dictating them to you with exact answers.

Yep, it gets weird.

Likewise, toward the end of the film, the theme of passing on responsibility of the world to a new generation becomes especially clear. To express this, an old wise character in the film looks to the film’s young protagonist, Mahito. While this may represent Miyazaki’s older self speaking to a version of his younger self in the film, you get the distinct impression Miyazaki is actually looking out to you in the audience personally. As he his exiting this world and ruminating on his own life, he is imploring you to consider that same simple question: 

“How do you live?” 

From The Boy and the Heron, Toho Co., Ltd.

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Sterling Martin is a writer, artist, and designer living in Chicago, IL. His background includes drawing, writing, theatre, teaching, improv & sketch comedy, and whatever else he can get his hands on to be creative. You can find him on the internet at:

Instagram: @sterfest.art (but it’s really starting to test my patience)

Website: sterlingmartin.design

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