The Boy And The Heron was originally billed as the final film from legendary Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki. When the film arrived, Miyazaki decided to push back his retirement and has reportedly been working on new ideas for anime films for the production company. In a recent interview, one of the co-creators of Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki, detailed how Miyazaki’s approach to “How Do You Live” was different from his previous works and some of the surprises that he discovered during the making of the movie.
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Suzuki took the opportunity in a new video to discuss how Hayao was “all smiles” when it came to creating the movie that was originally billed as his last, “Normally, Miyazaki would sit at a desk from morning ’til night, drawing away the whole time. He was a very high-strung man. But this time around, he had a lot of communication with the staff while creating. He was all smiles.” Miyazaki is currently 83 years old, making it all the more impressive that he has decided to push back his retirement and has far more ideas in mind for future anime movies. While Hayao has more ideas in store, little to no details have leaked as to what Ghibli’s next project will be.
Hayao Miyazaki: A Living Legend
Suzuki also noted in the new GKIDS interview that he wasn’t expecting The Boy And The Heron to feature a giant bird creature that could transform into a man to play such a prominent role, “I never expected it to be in such a big role. I was impressed by his power of observation. Even though I knew, I could still really tell that the gray heron was me.” The Heron was voiced in the English Dub by The Batman’s Robert Pattinson, who many anime fans were surprised to learn considering the performance.
Suzuki also took the opportunity to state that the relationship between The Boy, Mahito, and the Heron was a reflection of the partnership between the Ghibli Co-Found and Hayao Miyazaki, “They really reflected my usual sort of conversations with Miyazaki. He got the timing and everything just right. It was like watching myself from the outside, which was quite amusing to see.”
Do you think The Boy And The Heron was Hayao Miyazaki’s best Ghibli film? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Studio Ghibli.
