Netlflix has secured global streaming rights to Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning film, The Boy And The Heron, as part of an extended deal with Goodfellas and GKIDS to release Studio Ghibli films on the platform. This agreement does not include the United States and Japan.
The film's release date will be announced later this year.
Outside The Boy And The Heronthis deal guarantees ongoing access to 22 more Studio Ghibli classics, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Arrietty, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and The story of Princess Kaguya.
Although Netflix has acquired the streaming rights The Boy And The Heron outside the US and Japan, but US viewers can still expect to enjoy the series as HBO Max recently acquired streaming rights for the region.
The Boy And The Heron (called How Do You Live), was released in Japan on July 14, 2023. It became the first Studio Ghibli film to receive a simultaneous IMAX release. It also became the first Japanese film and animation to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
The Boy And The Heron also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony held on March 10, 2024.
Joe Hisashi composed the music for the anime film. The film has 37 soundtracks including the theme song. Kenshi Yonezu performed the film's theme song, “Chikyuugi”.
The plot of the film is described as follows:
The film's plot is set in World War II. Mahito Maki, the main character, is a young boy who tragically lost his mother in a hospital fire. When his father remarried, they moved from Tokyo to a villa in the countryside. This mansion happened to be his mother's hometown, and his father's new wife was his mother's sister. With complicated emotions, Masato is guided by a mysterious gray heron and finds himself entering another world.
How do you live? inspired by the 1937 novel of the same name by Yoshino Genzaburo. He added that this book is a story that means a lot to the main character in his movie.
Source: Netflix