His name is Mahito, he is 11 years old and he is Hayao Miyazaki’s new hero for The Boy and the Heron, previewed at the Lumière Festival then at My First Festival before being released in theaters this Wednesday. True to form, the director, now 82 years old, takes his hero on magical adventures in various parallel worlds. Japan shaken by the Second World War is only a distant memory for the toddler. Guided by a strange bird with speech, he sets off in search of his mother who he thought died in a fire.
“We wanted to do something different,” explains producer Toshio Suzuki in the press kit. Mahito and the viewer evolve in surprising, fantastic, magical and sometimes threatening worlds. However, we immediately know that we are in the world of Chihiro and Totoro’s dad. 20 minutes explains why.
Amazing heroes
The heron of the title is a typically “Miyazakian” character. He can be sometimes slender or downright disturbing when he takes the form of a man with a very large red nose who seems to live in the skin of the bird. The same goes for active grandmothers capable of surprising transformations, elderly heroines such as Miyazaki-san has enjoyed representing since the beginning of his filmography.
Crazy wildlife
Parakeets, pelicans, fish and insects also take unexpected forms in the parallel worlds created by the director. If the latter adapts the novel by Genzaburô Yoshino, And you, how will you live? (which gives the film its original title), he added his visual style transforming nature into a danger for humans who do not respect it. Beware of parakeets hungry for fresh flesh!
Girls to the rescue
The filmmaker has always placed female characters at the center of his intrigues. Despite its title, The Boy and the Heron is no exception to the rule. Mahito meets strong girls and women, authentic adventurers with a little extra grain of magic. More courageous and ingenious than the teenager, they represent several generations with panache.
Creatures and worlds
Hayao Miyazaki wouldn’t be himself if his film didn’t have some cute creatures. We’re not going to spoil it, but know that the new arrivals will enchant you just as much as this walk full of adventures which takes us on a journey through space and time, carried by Joe Hisaishi’s sublime score.