Ghibli Film The Boy And The Heron Is Getting An Aussie Cinema Release

Get ready, Aussie Ghibli fans: Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, The Boy and the Heron, is coming to Australian cinemas on December 7, 2023. 

Crunchyroll and Sony announced they have acquired rights to The Boy and the Heron for theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand, with the Japanese (subtitled) and English dubbed versions both set to debut locally next month.

The Boy and the Heron is iconic director Miyazaki’s latest film release, produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki. It’s Miyazaki’s first hand-drawn original film in ten years since The Wind Rises, after a decade of multiple retirement announcements (and rescinding said announcements).

The official synopsis for The Boy and the Heron reads: 

“A young boy named Mahito, yearning for his mother, ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”

Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind other Ghibli scores like Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away, is returning to compose The Boy and the Heron’s soundtrack. The movie’s theme song ‘Spinning Globe’ was written by J-Pop star Kenshi Yonezu, the musician behind Chainsaw Man’s opening theme.

The Boy and the Heron debuted in Japan in July, and broke Spirited Away’s four-day box office opening record, grossing over $56 million USD at the Japanese box office despite zero marketing. It’s also received global critical acclaim so far.

The film’s Japanese cast includes Soma Santoki (Mahito Maki), Masaki Suda (The Gray Heron), AIMYON (Lady Himi), Takuya Kimura (Shoichi Maki) Yoshino Kimura (Natsuko), and Ko Shibaski (Kiriko).

The English dubbed version of The Boy and the Heron features the return of Christian Bale (who voiced Howl in the film’s English dub), alongside a star-studded cast including Robert Pattinson, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, and Karen Fukuhara.

The Boy and the Heron hits Aussie and New Zealand cinemas on December 7, 2023 – there’s no details just yet on exactly which cinemas will be screening it, but we’ll update you once this info is available.

Will you be grabbing your popcorn and checking The Boy and the Heron out in cinemas when it debuts locally? Let us know in the comments.

Lead Image Credit: Studio Ghibli