• GKIDS Films has released a teaser trailer for Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, The Boy and the Heron.
• The film also has a release date for the US, expected to hit IMAX cinemas come 8th December 2023.
• For now no SA release has been mentioned, but the film is currently doing the rounds at international festivals.

We are unashamed anime fans here at the Hypertext office, which means that Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, The Boy and the Heron, is definitely on our radar. Last month we detailed some stills from the move, and now a teaser trailer has been released.

The teaser trailer was published on the official YouTube channel of GKIDS Films, alongside a confirmed release date for North America. To that end it is set to hit select IMAX cinemas come 8th December 2023.

The teaser trailer, which is embedded below, introduces us to Mahito Maki (Santoki) as the main protagonist. The film is also set in World War II, and is described as, “a semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship.”

Looking at the visuals, and as many have commented on YouTube, the art style is unmistakably Ghibli in nature, and seems to blend together elements from past Miyazaki works, such as Spirited Away and The Wind Rises.

The Boy and the Heron has already premiered in Japan, to naturally feverish excitement, and is set to make its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.

As for when, or indeed if, South African Ghibli and animation fans will be able to watch the film in local cinemas, that remains to be seen. Having checked out the likes of Nu Metro and the Labia Theatre in Cape Town, no listings look as forward as December this year. Ster-Kinekor‘s site does, but we could not spot The Boy and the Heron in the Coming Soon section.

Regardless of when the film lands locally, we eagerly await its availability to view.