Suzume Falls Short as The Boy and the Heron Takes the Crown at New York Film Critics Circle
The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki's latest masterpiece, soars above the competition as the Best Animated Film of 2023 Prepare for its English release in December, as this enchanting tale captures hearts worldwide
On Thursday, November 30th, The New York Film Critics Circle revealed that Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feature, The Boy and the Heron, won Best Animated Film. The film outshone other strong contenders such as Makoto Shinkai's Suzume and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) is a Japanese animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. While sharing the same title as a novel, the film boasts an original storyline, following the adventures of a boy named Mahito Maki and a talking grey heron.
The Boy and the Heron becomes the best-animated movie of 2023
The New York Film Critics Circle revealed the winners of their 89th annual awards on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Hayao Miyazaki's newest film, The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka), was honored as the Best Animated Film of the year, surpassing contenders such as Makoto Shinkai's Suzume no Tojimari, Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Pablo Berger's Robot Dreams, and Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios' Elemental.
The characters Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are depicted in the image via Sony Pictures. It's worth mentioning that both Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental surpassed the earnings of the Hayao Miyazaki film, solidifying their spots as top-grossing films of the year.
Nevertheless, the anime movie managed to win despite tough competition from films worldwide.
The Boy and the Heron set to release in English in December
The photo above shows Mahito Maki in his role in The Boy and the Heron, as captured by Studio Ghibli.
After its debut in Japan, GKIDS secured the distribution rights for North America. The film is scheduled for release on December 8, 2023, following an early preview on November 22.
The English version casting for the anime movie was coordinated by the company in partnership with Studio Ghibli. This was accomplished amidst the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, while still following the guidelines of the SAG-AFTRA Foreign Dubbing Agreement.
The Gray Heron as seen in the anime movie (Image via Studio Ghibli)
The English dub version was directed by Michael Sinterniklaas at NYAV Post, while Stephanie Sheh wrote the English script.
The English cast for the same is as follows:
Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki
Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi
Gemma Chan as Natsuko
Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican
Mark Hamill as Great Uncle
Robert Pattinson as The Gray Heron
Florence Pugh as Kiriko
Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki
Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King
Following that, fans can expect the film to be released in other countries as well.
Editor's P/S
As an enthusiastic fan, I'm thrilled to see that Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated masterpiece, "The Boy and the Heron," has been recognized by the New York Film Critics Circle as the Best Animated Film of 2023. This enchanting tale, which follows the adventures of a boy named Mahito Maki and a talking grey heron, has captured hearts worldwide and is sure to continue to do so when it is released in English in December.
The film's success is a testament to Miyazaki's storytelling prowess and his ability to create visually stunning and emotionally resonant worlds. "The Boy and the Heron" is a must-see for fans of animation and cinema in general, and I can't wait to experience it for myself when it is released in theaters.
