Studio Ghibli Quietly Releases Hayao Miyazaki Documentary on Max

Studio Ghibli has quietly launched a new Hayao Miyazaki documentary that you can now stream with Max. Studio Ghibli has been making waves lately with the launch of Miyazaki’s newest film, The Boy and the Heron last year. This film was originally purported to be Miyazaki’s final feature film project ever, but during the course of its production, Miyazaki revealed that it actually wouldn’t be his last film and he’s already working on whatever project’s coming next. But this also means that development for The Boy and the Heron was certainly interesting, and now it’s been covered in a new documentary. 

Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron is a brand new, two hour documentary following Miyazaki as he developed the new film. Going behind the scenes on the production that eventually went on to win an Academy Award, this new documentary was quietly released on Max alongside the streaming launch of The Boy and The Heron itself. So for fans who want a lengthy new dose of Studio Ghibli and the work that goes into their prolific anime features, now is the best time to start checking on your Max library. 

What Is Hayao Miyazaki’s New Documentary? 

Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron runs for two hours, and is teased by Max to include much more footage and behind the scenes work than fans might have initially expected for the feature, “A documentary that chronicles the making of The Boy and the Heron, filmed with exclusive access to Studio Ghibli across an astonishing seven years.” Studio Ghibli’s catalog in general is now available for streaming with Max along with the updated release of The Boy and the Heron, so fans will have plenty to enjoy with these new additions. 

The Boy and the Heron was revealed to be a deeply personal film project for Miyazaki as its original title in Japan, “How Do You Live?” ended up being reflective of how the artist was seeing himself at the time. Taking it on as a potential final project, it was only around the film’s official release that this was revealed to not be the case. Miyazaki has since confirmed that he would be releasing more work with Studio Ghibli, and already seems to have ideas for the future.

Why Is The Boy and the Heron So Special? 

The Boy and the Heron is one of the most notable releases in Studio Ghibli’s history. The film was first teased by Studio Ghibli with no promotional materials whatsoever. Leading up to its release in Japan, Ghibli refused to show anything from the film itself. That meant no still images, posters, or trailers until the film was fully released. Only then did fans get the first look at the actual film, and then it really kicked into high gear as The Boy and the Heron readied for the film’s international release. 

The Boy and the Heron only got bigger from then on as it went on to several major awards, capping off with a win for Best Animated Film at the 96th Academy Awards over Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Elemental, Nimona, and Robot Dreams. It makes it only the second of fully hand drawn films to win the award since Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away back in 2002, and was the second Miyazaki film to nab the honor. It was also the very first Academy Award win for North American distributor GKIDS, making The Boy and the Heron a historical release in many ways. Now with this documentary, fans get to enjoy it in a whole new way.