We already knew that The Boy and the Heron (aka How Do You Live?) would be Hayao Miyazaki’s final Studio Ghibli film. But in an unexpected twist, the studio has shared the film’s first images ahead of its North American release.
The first images were shared by the ticketing website Fandango, which uploaded four images from Miyazaki’s final film on the social media website X. The images are surprising to those that are following the film, as Studio Ghibli opted not to share a trailer or any other promotional material outside of a single theatrical poster it shared in December.
Check out our first look at Hayao Miyazaki’s newest film, #TheBoyAndTheHeron.
In theaters later this year. pic.twitter.com/KKeMhE5isF— Fandango (@Fandango) August 14, 2023
The Boy and the Heron first images revealed
The first images are typically detailed, lush and vibrant. Though as common with other Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki films like Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away, the first images for The Boy and the Heron also convey a grand fantastic and mysthical world that is waiting to be explored.
It also features a heron with some gnarly-looking teeth, so take that for what you will.
The Boy and the Heron is a fantasy film based on a novel of the same name, released in 1937. Studio Ghibli announced back in 2020 that Miyazaki was coming out of retirement to make one more film. The legendary filmmaker confirmed a little over a year later that he was involved with the project and explained “he wanted to” when asked why he was coming out of retirement to make another feature-length film.
The Boy and the Heron was released in Japan last month, a North American release date has yet to be announced, but it is anticipated to hit theatres in the region before the end of the year.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.