Studio Ghibli’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ to be Released in North America in 2021

Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, which is rumored to be his final work, made its debut in Japan today, surprising audiences as Studio Ghibli did not promote it beforehand. Shortly after, Gkids revealed that it had obtained the rights to distribute the animated movie in North America. While the film is titled “Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka” in Japan, it will be released internationally as “The Boy and the Heron.” Gkids has announced that the North American release is scheduled for later this year.

Little is known about the new film, but Gkids describes the hand-drawn animation as “an original story written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.” Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is producing it with music by Joe Hisaishi. It was previously announced that Miyazaki’s next film will receive an IMAX release (along with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Cinema and DTS:X) in Japan. However, it is not clear if it will be shown in IMAX in the US.

When the film arrives stateside, don’t expect to see any more promotion than it received in Japan. Gkids says it will follow Studio Ghibli’s “unprecedented decision” to premiere the film in Japan without marketing images, trailers, blurbs – or any information – ahead of today’s surprise premiere. Suzuki blames the decision on honoring another era while hoping to spark the imagination. “A poster and a headline – that’s all we got as kids. I enjoyed trying to imagine what the movie was about and I wanted to bring that feeling back,” Suzuki told Japanese broadcaster NHK, via The Japan Times and Deadline.

Gkids has distributed North American versions of previous Miyazaki films, including The Tale of Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There, and From Up on Poppy Hill (among others). The 15-year-old producer and distributor has 12 Best Animated Oscar nominations in its short history. “Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend in filmmaking, as evidenced by his Oscar win for Spirited Away and two Oscar nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises,” Gkids President David Jesteadt wrote in a press release today. “It’s been ten years since the world saw another film from Miyazaki-san, and Gkids is so proud and honored to unveil his latest, long-awaited masterpiece in North America.”