Netflix may not be creating original material at the same media level it used to these days, but as a brand, Netflix continues to create one of the most powerful catalogs of the streaming world. Among other things, because the company run by Ted Sarandos and Dan Lin has almost 6,000 moviesbetween internal productions and foreign content. A whirlwind of entertainment that in a few days will further expand with the arrival of one of the best animated films of the decade. The one that was capable of win at the oscars to Marvel superheroes and even a proposal created by Pixar.
We are of course talking about Studio Ghibli’s latest success: The Boy and the HeronThe film is based on the 1937 novel “Kimitachi Wa Do Ikiru ka” (“How Do You Live?”), although it actually features an original story unrelated to the novel by Genzaburō Yoshino. In another time and in another context it would be a real surprise to see a Japanese production crowned among American fictions, but knowing that it is a work signed under the legend of Hayao Miyazaki, everything takes on an almost routine aspect. The Boy and the Heron managed to beat at the last edition of the Oscars Spider-Man: Crossing the Multiversehas Elementary from the study of flexo, spanish style Robot Dreams and also to Netflix itself, which had managed to place Nimone among the contenders for Best Animated Feature. But what does this story tell us about loss and coming of age? Why do some rank it among the best films in recent cinematic history?
What is The Boy and the Heron about?
The official summary is as follows: “Mahito, a 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle into a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.
Ghibli already had enough respect from the entire film community long before Pixar did itThe studio began to understand the anime format as a bridge of family stories, where all members of a household could feel and be moved by a film. The key to the Japanese brand is therefore not overexplain things to the public and often does not differentiate much between the more experienced viewers and the child audience. Skills that are lacking in most films released today, where they everything is too underlined and there is nothing left to the imagination.
The Oscar at The Boy and the Heron It’s the highlight of Miyazaki’s film resume. The Tokyo one took its first statuette in 2003 thanks to Spirited Away. He later received two more nominations for The moving castle And The wind is rising. However, and believing that the author would surely not be crowned on the red carpet, the Academy offered him the honorary Oscar in 2015. Thus, after winning the BAFTA and the Golden Globe in the same year, Miyazaki has once again conquered Hollywood.
One of the best animated films
The director’s most symbolic adventure has arrived in Japanese cinemas without trailernor any type of promotion or marketing campaign. Miyazaki’s name is a totem in Asian cinema, so distributor Toho thought it would not be necessary to invest in previews and announcementsThe filmmaker’s return has been more than a draw for Japanese audiences, directing more than $300 million world collection. Miyazaki’s importance in the West is such that, for the dubbing of the North American version, The Boy and the Heron It starred actors of the caliber of Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe and Dave Bautista.
Critics hailed the award-winning anime offering, part of a career that was later honored by the Honorary Palme d’Or at the last Cannes Film Festival. A hymn to life and undoubtedly Miyazaki’s most personal work to date. Despite his 83 years, I’m working on a new feature film and he assured that he would be able to tell stories at least until he was 90.
The Boy and the Heron will land on Netflix next October 7th.
