GKIDS just dropped an official dubbed trailer for Studio Ghibli's latest animated feature, The Boy and The Heron.
It's the first listen at the absolutely stacked English-language voice cast that was announced last month, led by Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, the father of Mahito. The rest of the cast includes Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.
It's difficult to envision a reality where storied filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki can supercede the caliber of his past works, which include award-winning animated films like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. But after watching today's latest look, it seems like that possibility isn't far out of reach.
"I know it's a lie. But I have to see."
— Studio Ghibli (@GhibliUSA) November 2, 2023
Here is your first look at the new English version of Hayao Miyazaki's THE BOY AND THE HERON. Watch it in theatres starting December 8. pic.twitter.com/O2DgA0uNRa
The trailer opens to Mahito, the film's titular "boy," trekking up a grassy hill to reach a dazzling golden gate. When he reaches it, the camera reverses to reveal an army of birds following closely behind.
Set during World War II, The Boy and the Heron sees Mahito embark on a treacherous journey to find his deceased mother in an alternate world filled with the dead. Along the way, Mahito seeks guidance from a talking grey heron with magical powers.
"A lot of strange things happen in this place," a voiceover utters ominously as viewers are introduced to the unsettling imagery of Miyazaki's post-mortem world.
The new trailer features plenty of nods to past Studio Ghibli films. A little over a minute in, viewers meet a character whose face is enshrouded in flames, which looks particularly Calcifer-esque. Then, the trailer's closing moments reveal a sneak peek of what we can presume is the heron's human form, and all we can say is that there's some eerie similarities to Yubaba's bird-humanoid features in Spirited Away.
However, it truly wouldn't be a Studio Ghibli film without an abundance of adorable creatures, like the soot sprites in My Neighbor Totoro or Princess Mononoke's signature tree spirits. But don't worry! It looks like fans won't be disappointed. Small, bumbling white sprites that look like chunky marshmallows also make an appearance in the trailer, and they are as cute as they sound.
"It's Studio Ghibli's most visually complex film to date, while also contemplating the legacy of a legendary filmmaker and the world he is leaving behind. It serves as an ultimate statement from Miyazaki, and the perfect coda to his career," IGN wrote of the film in a Sept. 8 review.
To learn more about The Boy and the Heron, check out the official teaser trailer from Sept. 7 or read about how Hayao Miyazaki is already working on his next film.
The Boy and the Heron will be released in U.S. theaters Dec. 8. The movie was already theatrically released in Japan July 14.
