• Studio Ghibli has released a set of 14 still images from The Boy and the Heron, which is the final film to be directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
• The animated movie has been released in Japan, setting records along the way, and is currently being showcased at international film festivals.
• No date has been set for a theatrical release in South Africa at the time of writing.

If you are an anime fan, you’re likely eagerly awaiting the release of the latest project from Studio Ghibli titled The Boy and the Heron.

The film is notable for a number of reasons, such as the fact that it has featured no kind of traditional promotion or marketing in the lead up to its release, with no trailers, teasers, or advertising reaching the public. Despite this, the film garnered more than $13 million on its Japanese opening weekend in mid-July.

One of, if not the, most notable element of this film is that it is the final project that director and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki, has undertaken. Whether that will indeed turn out to be the case remains to be seen, but that fact has seen hype for the film reach an almost fever pitch among avid anime and animated movie watchers.

The Boy and the Heron is currently doing the rounds at international film festivals, with it set to show at both the Toronto and New York festivals next month. For those outside of Japan, no release date has been touted, with the same going for South Africa.

As such, we’ll have to wait to see if it even receives a theatrical release.

To tide Ghibli fans over, the Studio has released a set of 14 still images from the film, which you can peruse below.

Without much context, the images below mean little, but at the same time, we’d like to keep spoilers to a minimum for those who wish to go into the film blind.

All we will say, is that it centres around the psychological and emotional growth of a young man, Mahito Maki (Santoki), and his relationship with his uncle. The film has also been described as fantastical, so it appears as if there is some serious Spirited Away vibes to it.

Whether it can nab Miyazaki another Oscar, remains to be seen, but this is one film we’re definitely keen to watch before the end of 2023.