The Boy and The Heron: Why Was the Film's Title Changed?

The Boy and The Heron's new title comes from a request from one of Studio Ghibli producer's to change it!

By Nick Valdez

The Boy and The Heron has made its debut in the United States as one of the most notable Studio Ghibli successes in recent memory, and it turns out that the new title for its international release came from a request by Studio Ghibli themselves! Originally titled How Do You Live? for its original release in Japan, the newest effort from famed creator Hayao Miyazaki was touted to be the final one and was mysteriously promoted ahead of its original release overseas. But now that it's getting its international launch, fans are seeing more of this new project than ever. 

One of the big changes from its original release in Japan is the title change to The Boy and The Heron. Speaking to IndieWire about the English dubbed adaptation and release of the film, GKIDS President Dave Jesteadt opened up about working closely with Studio Ghibli on the international release during a time where it was still a secretive project. And when asked about the new title, Jesteadt explained that the idea for a new title came from Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki as part of a request for its worldwide release. 

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(Photo: GKIDS Inc.)

Why How Do You Live Changed Its Title

"There was a total press blackout on the film in line with the release in Japan," Jesteadt began, "but because of our long relationship with Ghibli, we asked if we would be able to announce that we had the rights, as we needed to be able to set up a big fall release. It was at that time that Suzuki asked for a title change. The call came from inside the house. I can't speak to the exact reasons for the title change, but I think there was a desire to move away from the name of the book, as people were constantly mistaking the movie for an adaptation."

How Do You Live? was the name of a novel by Genzaburo Yoshino that inspired Hayao Miyazaki as a child, but the film itself is not an adaptation of it. Before landing on The Boy and The Heron, Jesteadt explained that they went through a number of different potential titles. "We talked about 'The Tower Master' or 'The Grand Uncle,'" he explained, "and our feeling was that they felt a little too much like hard fantasy. We tried a lot of different permutations of 'How Do You Live?' but ended up choosing the option closest to Suzuki's original suggestion." 

As for the title, Jesteadt explained that there's a hidden meaning behind it as well, "Miyazaki based the characters in this movie on people in his life...and the heron is based on Suzuki. To me, there's something very meta and very funny about this heron — this trickster — inserting himself into the situation and suggesting we give the movie an international title [with his name in it]."

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How do you feel about The Boy and The Heron as a new title? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

via Indiewire

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