The Boy and the Heron
Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning.
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother."
- Director
- Hayao Miyazaki
- Signature
- Craft · Wonder · Drama
- Worldwide
- $294M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
11 billed performers
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How The Boy and the Heron actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
Checking regional listings…
The record
Awards
10 wins · 2 nominations
Academy Awards
1 win
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature
Golden Globes
1 win
- WinnerGolden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
BAFTA Awards
1 win
- WinnerBAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
Critics' Choice Awards
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerCritics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
1 win
- WinnerChicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
1 win
- WinnerDallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film
1 win
- WinnerFlorida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
1 win
- WinnerLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film
1 win
- WinnerNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film
Ōfuji Noburō Award
1 win
- WinnerŌfuji Noburō Award
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature
1 win
- WinnerSan Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature
Annie Awards
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerAnnie Award for Best Animated Feature
The numbers
Box Office & Release
The Boy and the Heron returned 5.9× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $50M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $294M
- Release date
- Jul 14, 2023
- Runtime
- 2h 4m
- MPAA rating
- PG-13
- Language
- Japanese
- Country
- Japan
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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