Studio Ghibli drops first images from Miyazaki's mystery final film
In an unexpected turn of events, Studio Ghibli has released the first images from Hayao Miyazaki's mysterious final film How Do You Live a month after it premiered in Japan.
The move comes as a surprise for Ghibli fans as the studio announced in June that it will release the film without a plot synopsis, list of voice actors and characters, advertisement, or any other promotional material.
According to the renowned anime studio's lead producer, Toshio Suzuki, this is because Studio Ghibli wants to pique people's interest in the film by doing something different from the rest.
Originally titled Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka (How Do You Live), Miyazaki's top-secret final movie premiered in Japan on July 14 with only its poster, which features only a bird's beak, as its key visuals. It has been retitled The Boy and The Heron in time for its premiere in North America later this year.
Things, however, took a different turn as the studio just shared a sneak peek at the film, which was shared by several publications on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
First official look at Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘THE BOY AND THE HERON’. pic.twitter.com/aD5AweOb3j
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 14, 2023
Although Ghibli did not provide any other details about The Boy and the Heron, the newly released teaser showcases Miyazaki's power to provide the audience with the so-called "immersive realism" or the ability to create a balance between fantastical works of art and realism.
The four images show the protagonist hugging a girl whose face is covered, a strange flying object that the protagonist and his companion are staring at, a flock of flying birds, and a terrifying heron with a set of human-like teeth.
The Boy and the Heron is "a grand fantasy film" inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 novel Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka. The book tells the story of a 15-year-old boy named Junichi Honda and his spiritual growth, poverty, and other experiences following the death of his father.
American distributor GKIDS told Screen Rant that the film will instead have a story of its own rather than being a mere adaptation of the novel. The audience can also expect to see Yoshino's book being in the possession of one of the film's characters.
No date has been confirmed for The Boy and the Heron's worldwide debut, but similar to North America, GKIDS said that it is planned for later this year.