Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron gets a Boxing Day release in the UK and Ireland

ELYSIAN FILM GROUP has announced THE BOY AND THE HERON, the highly anticipated next Studio Ghibli feature from the Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on Boxing Day, Tuesday 26th December 2023. THE BOY AND THE HERON is Miyazaki’s return to filmmaking after a ten-year hiatus, featuring his renowned, celebrated imaginative animation and ideas.

A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death and creation, in tribute to friendship from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

From the beloved and award-winning animation house, Studio Ghibli’s latest is a beautiful, reflective and engrossing tale of love, loss and discovery. Both original and English-dubbed versions will be available on general cinema release, with the latter featuring voice cast to be announced later in the autumn.

You can read our review of the film from TIFF 2023 here.

The Studio Ghibli production opened in Japan this summer surpassing the first four-day box office of Spirited Away (2001) and recently had its international premiere to a rapturous response as opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival. Following its TIFF premiere, press hailed the film as “a masterpiece” (BBC), “exquisite” (The Hollywood Reporter), “among the most beautiful movies ever drawn” (IndieWire), and “a wholly satisfying, bittersweet sendoff” (Screen). The film will have its U.K. Premiere as a Special Presentation at the BFI London Film Festival this Sunday 8th October.

THE BOY AND THE HERON is a hand-drawn, original story written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro). Produced by Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, the film features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. The theme song for the film “Spinning Globe” was written and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.