Captivating Glimpse into Miyazaki's Last Masterpiece Unveiled in Epic Trailer

Highlights

The trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's final film, The Boy and the Heron, has been highly anticipated and has already garnered over 150k views in just a few hours.

The Boy and the Heron, a film that exemplifies Miyazaki's exceptional technical prowess, seamlessly merges elements of everyday human existence, the beauty of nature, and fantastical components to cultivate an enchanting ambiance. Setting a new benchmark as the costliest Japanese production to date, this cinematic masterpiece powerfully premiered in Japan, amassing a staggering 7.74 billion yen. Audiences in North America can anticipate its release in theaters on December 8, 2023.

The secrecy surrounding Hayao Miyazaki's final feature, The Boy and the Heron, has been a widely-discussed topic in the world of anime. Last week, GKIDS released the first video promotion for the film, which garnered a lot of attention despite only featuring a poetic text introduction and the unveiling of its English-language logo.

However, the introductory video also included an announcement that the first trailer would be released on September 6. And now, the highly-anticipated trailer has arrived, accumulating over 150k views in just a few hours.

The film's footage meets Miyazaki's high technical standards that he has been renowned for throughout his career in anime. The trailer immediately sets the atmospheric tone of the fire-bombings at the end of WWII, similar to Miyazaki's previous films. The Boy and the Heron explores the intersection of the everyday human world, the natural world, and the fantastical world. The trailer also showcases the protagonist, Mahito, discovering a realm where death ends and new life begins, as mentioned in the text-based introductory video released last week. Additionally, the trailer reveals that The Boy and the Heron will be released in theaters across the US on December 8, 2023.

The Boy and the Heron has made a successful start in Japan, earning approximately 7.74 billion yen (equivalent to around $54 million USD) and is still being shown in theaters. Toshio Suzuki, producer at Studio Ghibli, has confirmed that Miyazaki's latest film is the most expensive Japanese production ever made, surpassing the 2013 film The Tale of Princess Kaguya, also produced by Ghibli, which cost $49.3 million.

Fans of Ghibli who cannot wait until December have already made plans to watch the film in advance, as it is set to be screened at various fall film festivals. The film will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it has already sold out "in record time," according to GKIDS, the distributor. Additionally, it will also be shown at the BFI Film Festival in London, the New York Film Festival, and the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.

The Boy and the Heron is set to release in North American theaters on December 8, 2023.