Miyazaki's Last Anime Movie Finally Has a Stunning Trailer and Release Date

There’s finally some good news for Hayao Miyazaki fans! After a lot of anticipation, his final animated fantasy feature now has an actual theatrical release date and a stunning trailer.

Studio Ghibli has unveiled Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated fantasy masterpiece, The Boy and the Heron, which marks the renowned director's return to filmmaking after his 2013 drama, The Wind Rises. According to Variety, the movie is set to open the Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s also slated to screen at the New York Film Festival.

The film has already been released in Japan, but despite anticipation being high for those in the U.S. hoping to see any sneak peeks on what to expect with the newest film, the storyline has been shrouded in secrecy. Variety notes that despite the release in Japan, only a few images from the movie were released, until now. On September 6, Studio Ghibli released a trailer and synopsis of what to expect from the new movie.

The Boy and the Heron Trailer

According to the synopsis, the movie is about: “A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead,” the synopsis reads. “There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning.”

The studio describes the film as a “semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”

What age is appropriate for The Boy and the Heron?

Based on the trailer and description, it appears that The Boy and the Heron will be closer to Miyazaki’s more dramatic movies like The Wind Rises or Howl’s Moving Castle. This means it’s probably not a more kid-friendly fare like Kiki’s Delivery Service or My Neighbor Totoro. So, watching with older kids might be your best bet with this one.

The Boy and the Heron release date

The Boy and the Heron will be released with English subtitles in theaters and IMAX on December 8, 2023, and will play in its original Japanese language. However, there is a rumor of a new English version with an English dub in the works, per Variety. In the past, Studio Ghibli films have had iconic, and impressive voice casts. So, hopes are high that The Boy and the Heron will be equally memorable.

As of this writing, The Boy and the Heron is thought to be Miyazaki’s last film.

The Boy And The Heron is set to release to theaters and IMAX on December 8.