The Boy and the Heron, one of the most anticipated animated films of 2023, finally has a release date for Australia following its July release in Japan, where the film surpassed the four-day opening box office of Spirited Away.

Crunchyroll has acquired Australian and New Zealand rights to Studio Ghibli’s long-awaited next film from Academy Award-winning visionary

director Hayao Miyazaki. It is the first film from the director in ten years. The film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English.

Watch the official trailer for the film below.

Official Film Synopsis: 

A young boy named Mahito

yearning for his mother

ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.

There, death comes to an end,

and life finds a new beginning.

A semi-autobiographical fantasy

about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship,

from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Soma Santoki leads the Japanese cast as Mahito Maki, and Masaki Suda as The Gray Heron. Additional casting includes Ko Shibaski (Kiriko), AIMYON (Lady Himi), Yoshino Kimura (Natsuko), and Takuya Kimura (Shoichi Maki). 

Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari) stars in the English language dub alongside Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Gemma Chan (The Creator), Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), Karen Fukuhara (The Boys), Mark Hamill (House of Usher), Robert Pattinson (The Batman), and Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer). Luca Padovan joins the cast as Mahito Maki, and Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens are also in the film, featured as the Parakeets. 

Are you excited to watch The Boy and The Heron in cinemas on December 7th? Let me know in the comment section below.