Summary
This Sunday will be the 96thOscars, or Academy Awards, presentation. While many people are, of course, interested in seeing what movie will win the coveted Best Picture, there is a lot of excitement regarding the Animated Film category this year.Studio Ghibli’s filmThe Boy and the Heronhas been nominated alongside Western-produced English-language films, which has anime and Ghibli fans around the world excited about the possibility of an anime movie winning anOscar(and not even in the foreign film category).
A special interview was conducted with the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki. In the lighthearted interview, the two discuss a little about the production of the movie and how long it took, bringing a lot of delight to their fans and showing people who may not know Studio Ghibli a little glimpse at the two men who brought it to life.
The Boy and the Heron
Jul. 14th, 2023
2 hours, 3 minutes
Rating
7.6 (IMDB)
The Boy and the Heronbegan as something unexpected, even though everyone thought that Hayao Miyazaki was done releasing movies. After a long gap afterThe Wind Risesin 2013,The Boy and the Heronwas finally released a decade later when most people had given up hope of any more Miyazaki films. Before releasing, Miyazaki revealed nothing about the movie, and it did not have a trailer, cast list, plot summary, or anything more than a poster.
But that did not stop people from going to see it, just as Miyazaki predicted. The Studio Ghibli name, and his name, were enough to draw curious crowds out in droves to check out the latest film. And when the good reviews started to pour in, it only gained momentum. Since its release seven months ago,The Boy and the Heronhas gone on to already win several awards,including a Golden Globe. It is running against other big-name animated films at the Oscars this weekend, includingSpider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseandElemental, but we will soon see if it can win again.
An Interview with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Skip ahead to 24:10 if you would like to watch the interview in full.
In the run-up to the Academy Awards this weekend, theofficial YouTube channelfor the awards ceremony has been posting features and interviews of the nominees.The Boy and the Heronhas been nominated for the Best Animated Feature Film, and the interview was conducted with none other than the founders of the famous production company, Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki themselves. Conveniently for international audiences, since the Academy Awards are an English-language award show, the YouTube feature has English subtitles.
I’m glad that I made it all the way to the end.
In the short interview, Miyazaki and Toshio answer several questions about the movie. One in particular stands out from the rest, though.The Boy and the Heronhas been called Miyazaki’s magnum opus, and his greatest film of all time. It is the first one to win international awards, it is true. When Miyazaki was asked what he was happy about with the movie, he answered simply, “I’m glad that I made it all the way to the end.” It is a humble, fitting answer for Miyazaki, especially considering he is83 years old right now, and seven years made for a long production period for one movie.
The interview goes on with a casual atmosphere, even as Miyazaki is drinking tea and Suzuki excuses himself at the end to attend another interview. Before he leaves, the two share a laugh that Miyazaki was able to persist through seven years of work onThe Boy and the Heronbecause “the money [kept] on coming.” Without even releasing a plot or a trailer for the movie,The Boy and the Heronwas popular by name alone, so it is no surprise that Miyazaki was able to get money to produce it even though it took a long time, andlittle information was ever shared.
What got everyone talking more than what Miyazaki and Toshio said in the interview, though, was the internet’s surprise at Miyazaki’s appearance. The iconic director has sported a beard for over thirty years now, but in this interview, he has a clean-shaven face. While he also had it in another interview last fall, most people did not expect it to be his long-term look. It seems, though, that Miyazaki is going for a change in his appearance, and if he wanted to stir up people online, he succeeded - though that’s unlikely, given his character, let’s be honest.
