The Boy and the Heron
2023 · Movie · PG-13 · 124 min · ★ 7.4 · 94% critics
During World War II, a grieving teenager moves from Tokyo to the countryside to live with his father and new stepmother. As he struggles with loss and change, a strange gray heron draws him toward a mysterious world that feels both magical and unsettling.
Also known as How Do You Live?
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Streaming on HBO Max — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- 君たちはどう生きるか
- Years
- 2023
- Release date
- 2023-07-14
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Max quality
- UHD
- Critic score
- 94/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (2,643 votes)
About
You'll likely enjoy this if you like dreamlike animated fantasy with emotional weight, somewhat in the spirit of The Boy and the Beast or Weathering with You; Not for you if you want a clear, tightly explained story.
Pros: gorgeous visuals; moving grief themes; imaginative fantasy world | Cons: confusing story beats; uneven pacing; underexplained world rules
Themes
- loss of loved one
- world war ii
- supernatural
- education
- coming of age
- spirituality
- poverty
- teenage boy
- parallel world
- troubled childhood
- semi autobiographical
- based on myths, legends or folklore
- +10 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Animated Feature · 2024
- BAFTA Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
- Chicago Film Critics Association Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
- Florida Film Critics Circle Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
Show all 12 awards →
- Golden Globe Award — Best Animated Feature Film · 2023
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Animated Film · 2023
- San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award — Best Animated Feature · 2023
- Ōfuji Noburō Award
- Annie Award — Best Animated Feature · 2023 · nominated
- Critics' Choice Movie Award — Best Animated Feature · 2023 · nominated
Cast & crew
Soma Santoki
as Mahito Maki (voice)
Masaki Suda
as Gray Heron (voice)
Ko Shibasaki
as Kiriko (voice)
Aimyon
as Lady Himi (voice)
Yoshino Kimura
as Natsuko (voice)
Takuya Kimura
as Shoichi Maki (voice)
Keiko Takeshita
as Izumi (voice)
Jun Fubuki
as Utako (voice)
Sawako Agawa
as Eriko (voice)
Karen Takizawa
as Warawara (voice)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki