Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Is Returning to Theaters as an English-Language Dub

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Following its win for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Oscars, The Boy and The Heron will be once again gracing theaters.

The movie was originally released in Japan in June 2023 after seven years of production, with one of the producer’s referring to it as the most expensive film ever made in the country. It’s also Hayao Miyazaki’s last ever film. The filmmaker had initially announced his retirement in 2013 but then resumed work to put out The Boy and The Heron, although he’s saying he doesn’t plan on releasing any more movies.

Distributor GKIDS announced the re-release in theaters, which will include a dub cast with a star-studded lineup of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.

“After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family's estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron,” GKIDS describes the film. “When Mahito's new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead.”

The Boy and The Heron will also receive new bonus materials, namely an introduction from the score’s composer Joe Hisaishi and an inside look at a drawing session with animator Takeshi Honda.

Watch the official trailer for GKIDS’ release of The Boy and The Heron above.