• The Boy and The Heron is slated for a release in South African cinemas on 19th April.
• The film is listed as “coming soon” for both Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor.
• It is said to be director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, and recently won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

Ever since the first teaser trailer for The Boy and The Heron landed last year and Studio Ghibli fans in Japan got to watch the film before any other country, we have been eagerly awaiting its South African release.

That day is now soon upon us, as it is slated for release in local theatres on 19th April.

We checked out the two major cinema operators in SA – Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor – and both have it set to land on 19th April, but at the time of writing, no pre-orders or bookings are available, so it remains to be seen just how wide a release the film will get.

Given that it is said to be director Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, along with it recently taking home an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, we’re sure there will be plenty of interest in this latest offering from Studio Ghibli.

“Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy, struggles to settle in 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,” reads a short description of the movie.

Interestingly, the Nu Metro listing for the film says it will be shown in the original Japanese dub with English subtitles. This may see some people shy away, especially given the star-studded cast assembled for the English dubbed version.

Either way, we’re excited to see this film when it releases on 19th April, and hope that more animated features find their ways to cinemas outside of the usual Hollywood offerings.

If for whatever reason you have not seen the trailer for The Boy and The Heron, hit play on the trailer below and enjoy.