Blu-ray/DVD Review: The Boy and the Heron

As a young boy rushes through the panicked masses to rescue his mother from a burning hospital everything happens in slow motion which reflects the mental disorientation and anxiety that he feels.  Unlike his father who has began a new life by marrying his deceased wife’s sister and is expecting a child, Mahito is at odds with the world so much that he will self-inflict a head wound in order to avoid be being bullied by his classmates.  The trouble does not end there as a grey heron that lives in mysterious dilapidated castle on the family estate has taken to harassing him.  The relationship between boy and bird takes a supernatural twist as the latter states that Mahito’s mother is waiting to be rescued and he will serve as his guide with the castle serving as the bridge to the afterlife.

There are dark moments like Mahito hitting his head with a stone that causes blood to gush out, a facsimile of his dead mother dispersing like water upon his touch, being swarmed by herons and frogs, and cannibalistic parrots that keep kitchen knifes hidden behind their backs.  However, there are also instances of levity like grey heron being chased by an arrow that has one of his feathers and times of wonder, especially with the depiction of fire and a dimension that resembles something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.   Nuances are everywhere whether it be characters backtracking their steps because of forgetting something as well as clever transitions like the protagonist going from being underwater to lying on his bed. It is because of this attention to detail that the world and the characters feel alive.

For those waiting for Studio Ghibli to start releasing its catalogue in 4K, The Boy and the Heron marks the first step in doing so with HD HDR widescreen imagery and Dolby Atmos sound.  The English dub is included with an all-star cast lending their voices such as Christian Bale, Gemma Chan Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara and Mark Hamill.  For those wanting to understand the creative process, there are two interesting bonus materials: the entire feature told through storyboards and Supervising Animator Takeshi Honda demonstrating how he approaches drawing the different characters and creatures.  An insightful interview is had with long-time Hayao Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi who states that he intended for the music not to dictate the emotion but spark the imagination.  Also, included is a movie poster as well as a booklet in the steelbook version where Hayao Miyazaki debates whether to come out of retirement and what sort of story would be appropriate considering how long it takes to make a movie.   Thankfully, Miyazaki decided to go ahead even though it took twice as long as originally predicted.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.