WTK

Select IMAX locations will have free mini-posters tonight only for the Dec 4 preview events!

Check with your local theatre for availability, only while supplies last.

clappj

Wow! Thanks for the fast and useful reply WTK! I did not expect it. haha!
I just called my local theater and was pleasantly surprised to get someone knowledgeable about this. They said they were given more posters than they're likely to give away tonight.

Artman

Went to my first IMAX event (at AMC) last week for Godzilla, and yes they handed out the mini posters to those who wanted one as you went in. The challenge is it's almost impossible to keep them in perfect condition during the show and going home. I wouldn't base my decision on going for the poster, as you could just buy it on ebay later. (Godzilla's are $20, some I'm sure might sell for more)

IMAX show tonight is almost sold out, but I had planned to go on Thurs. Yes I actually prefer the English dubs on these as they're well done (imo) and I can focus on the wonderful art on screen.

Jason Bovberg

Caught this today with my daughter. We both appreciated the artistry, of course (it's gorgeous!), but it's not as cohesive a film as we're used to with Miyazaki. Not as grounded in human emotion. Especially in the final act, the movie escapes into a somewhat incoherent fantasy world, and the human characters lose some of their appeal. I wish the main character's narrative had been more tethered to the real world. I'm sure this is one of those cases where Japanese cultural archetypes are playing into the story, and I'm missing that aspect. But earlier Miyazaki films did a better job of balancing the fantastical with the human. B- from us.

Ash Ketchum

Agreed.

Miyazaki's films have taken an increasingly abstract turn in the 21st century, starting with SPIRITED AWAY and heading full-on abstract with HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, PONYO and this film. In his masterpieces of the '80s and 90s Miyazaki did exactly as you say: "a better job of balancing the fantastical with the human."

cultshock

The family and I went to see this tonight and we all really liked it. The animation was just gorgeous as always, with some breathtaking moments, and I thought it was a cool story. My only nitpick is that the voice actor for the teenage boy Mahito sounded too adult (we saw the Japanese language version).

tanman

Is this one of the more mature Ghibli movies? Would a 4 year old be bored?

cultshock

The first half, probably, but the second half has a lot of fantasy elements and there is a lot of eye candy. But it's also over two hours. To be honest, if my kids were 4 instead of being teenagers, I would not have taken them to the theater for this but waited for home video instead.

joe_b

So cool to see this open at number one in North America. I was also happy to check it out at my local Cinemark without it being a stupid $20 Fathom Event like all the other GKIDS/anime releases tend to be these days. Just a nice, quiet bargain matinee with a dozen or so attendees around my age. The only sound anyone made was laughter whenever one of the birds took a crap.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. It was like a fever dream. You could notice bits of several Miyazaki films represented here - though Spirited Away is the obvious comparison. I probably liked this one better, but I'm in the minority who don't consider Spirited Away to be his best movie (Totoro and Mononoke are still tops for me).

I chose the English dub. While I wasn't a fan of some of the voice work (particularly Florence Pugh), I thought Robert Pattinson went all in and did an excellent job here. Never would have guessed that was him. There was some gorgeous animation throughout, but the scene with the ribbons lashing out at Mahito and Natsuko was my favorite. Very striking.

DaveNinja

I'm 45 years older and I was bored. Saw the sub version in IMAX

IBJoel

Amazing piece on grief and generational transition. I look forward to checking out the English dub when it releases on streaming.

Definitely related to Mahito in the beginning, where he's in this new situation, feeling awkward, and then not fitting in at school.

story

Our oldest really wants to see this in the theater over break, but wow, it just looks so dang long and slow. I'm sure it's wonderful, but I don't know if I can hang in there for this. I have many other things I'd rather do with what's left of break. We'll see what happens...

Noonan

Long? Isn't it right at 2 hours?

IBJoel

It's 2:05, which is on the longer side for hand-drawn animation.

It feels a bit longer, since the first half is slower-paced and melancholy. I was actually a little surprised at how quickly it wraps up in the end.

story

I'm not talking about the actual length of time feeling long, but the story and pacing feeling long. Like, I love Howl's Moving Castle, but wow, does it feel long.

cultshock

I thought the first hour was a bit slow, but the second half not at all. During the first 30 minutes or so, I thought "Man, this seems like it will be a bit of a depressing slog" but by an hour into it, the story and visuals captivated me.

rexinnih

Saw this with the family, my wife is Japanese and watched subtitled version with the kids. Above pretty well summed it up for us also. Youngest daughter was clueless following it. Overall good but won't be up there with the greats Miyazaki has created.

WTK

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have made #GoldenGlobes history. THE BOY AND THE HERON is the first Japanese animated film ever to win Best Motion Picture - Animated!

Congratulations to Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and thank you for this tremendous honor!


A message from Toshio Suzuki.

tasha99

My friend and I saw this yesterday. I walked out thinking huh, that was odd af, but after sleeping on it, it gelled more in my head. It's got me a bit weepy this morning thinking about my late mom,

I liked it a lot, but then Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies, and this reminded me of it a lot.

davidh777

It looked great, but the plot was a little confusing, and it did feel long. Glad I saw it but it wasn’t quite what it could’ve been.

Picked the dub because of convenience of showtimes, and it was fine. Dave Bautista was the only voice I found distracting.

story

I took her to see this yesterday. It was beautiful and interesting, and it has a lot of heart. And, ultimately, it was as I had feared, long and slow. I checked my watch and dozed off multiple times.

WTK

THE BOY AND THE HERON has won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature! Congratulations to Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli on their second-ever win! 🏆✨

This was the 13th #Oscars nomination for GKIDS and our first win ever!

2023 was a landmark year for animation, and we’re grateful to have shared the stage with so many brilliant nominees. We are all united in our belief that animation IS film, and look forward to the future. ❤️

WTK

Returning to theatres nationwide beginning March 22

Screenings will include an introduction from Golden Globe-nominated composer Joe Hisaishi and a featurette with supervising animator Takeshi Honda.

https://gkids.com/films/the-boy-and-the-heron/