Studio Ghibli released the first stills for Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature film The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, or literally How do you live?) on Friday. The film may not be marketed with trailers, commercials, or pre- and post-release TV spots, and has no plot synopsis, cast or most staff, with media only having to provide details about the movie after its release. The stills represent Studio Ghibli’s first official marketing example for the film.
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The film premiered concurrently on IMAX with a joint release in Japan on July 14. It is the first Studio Ghibli film to be released simultaneously on IMAX. Movies are also shown on Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema and DTS:X.
The film sold 1,003 million tickets and grossed about US$13.2 million in its first three days of opening in Japan. The film sold 1.353 million tickets and grossed 2.149 billion yen (about $15.53 million) during its long weekend from Friday to Monday (July 17 is a holiday for Marine Day in Japan). The film earned more than Miyazaki’s 2001 Oscar-winning hit hit Spirited Away in its first four days and earned 50% more than his 2013 film The Wind Rises. The film surpassed $1.7 million from 44 IMAX theaters, a new record in its opening three days, according to entertainment news website Deadline. The film has sold a total of 4,125,000 tickets for a total of 6,235,444,700 yen (about US$42.88 million) as of last weekend.
GKIDS has licensed the film and will release the film in North American theaters later this year. The New York Film Festival (NYFF) will screen the film’s US premiere as an Official Selection in the Spotlight selection. The 61st NYFF will run from September 29 to October 15.
The film will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), as the event’s opening film, on September 7 at Roy Thomson Hall. This will be the first time the festival opens with an animated film as well as the first for a Japanese film. The San Sebastian Film Festival (SSIFF) will screen its European premiere at Donostia-San Sebastián’s Kursaal Auditorium in Spain on September 22 following the event’s opening gala. This will be Miyazaki’s fourth film to be screened at SSIFF, and his first to participate in the event’s Official Selection.
The story takes place during World War II. After Mahito lost his mother in the Tokyo bombing, he and his father moved to the countryside. There, Mahito’s father remarried to his late mother’s pregnant sister. As Mahito struggles with his situation, he meets a talking heron and enters another world based on the promise that he can see his mother again.
Soma Santoki, 18, voices the main character Mahito Maki. Takuya Kimura made a special appearance. The cast also includes Masaki Suda, Kou Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Ōtake, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi and Shohei Hino.
Miyazaki is credited with the original work, in addition to directing the film and writing the screenplay. Takeshi Honda (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, Rebuild of Evangelion films) is the animation director. Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) is composing the music. Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is the producer. Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man, My Hero AcadeKaren, March come in like a lion) performed the theme song “Chikyūgi” (Globe).
Miyazaki got the film’s inspiration from Genzaburō Yoshino’s 1937 novel How Do You Live?. He added that this book is a story that means a lot to the main character of his movie. Algonquin Young Readers released the book in English in October 2021.
Miyazaki officially revealed the film in 2017. Suzuki reported in April 2017 that Miyazaki had been drawing storyboards for the project since July 2016.
Source: Studio Ghibli, Web Mantan