The Boy and the Heron | Film Club #37

In 2013, animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki released the film “The Wind Rises” then announced his retirement. This was not the first time he publicly retired, and it wouldn’t be his last.

This winter, Miyazaki, who is now 82 years old, has released a new film called “The Boy and The Heron.” It follows Mahito, a young boy who moves to the countryside with his father and new stepmother, after the death of his mom during World War II.

When Mahito encounters a gray heron that taunts him with the suggestion that his mother may still be alive, he embarks on a journey into a strange world that fans of Miyazaki’s other works will find themselves familiar with.

ATMI producers Madison Knutson and Jordan Kehl sat down to talk about The Boy and the Heron, how it fits in among the rest of the Studio Ghibli filmography, and its vast English-dub voice cast.

Hosted by Ormund Alaois.

Music by Kendrick Whiteman and Devin Shreckengost.

Alaska Teen Media Institute is based in Anchorage, Alaska. We would like to acknowledge the Dena’ina people, whose land we work on.