The Boy and the Heron

2023 · 2h04 · Film

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Starring Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa

Ideal when you feel… Sad / low Exhausted

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

Updated July 22, 2026

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