The Boy and the Heron trailer reveals darkest Studio Ghibli movie yet

Studio Ghibli has mastered the art of mixing bleak storytelling with hopefulness, but The Boy and the Heron could be the studio’s darkest turn yet.

Hayao Miyazaki’s new movie The Boy and the Heron opened in Japan last month to rave reviews and huge box office numbers. Despite the mystery surrounding the film, hype is still huge.

But while The Boy and the Heron will open the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 – making it the first animated film to fill such a prestigious slot – those in the West are still left hanging about wondering when we will get to see the new movie.

However, as of September 6, Studio Ghibli has finally shown us some mercy and released a trailer. But the trailer’s tone suggests that this upcoming movie could be the studio’s darkest yet.

The Boy and the Heron trailer has finally been released

The first trailer for The Boy and the Heron begins with darkness and fire, evoking similar imagery to another of Studio Ghibli’s bleakest movies: Grave of the Fireflies. There is also some unsettling imagery, music, and a tagline, “Where death comes to an end,” which doesn’t help calm this sense of unease.

Watch the new trailer below:

The Boy and the Heron’s international release date revealed

As well as giving a glimpse of the movie’s imagery, the trailer has also revealed the film’s international release date, which is December 8, 2023.

Now, while this may be the first trailer we’ve seen, the movie has actually already been out for a while in Japan.

But because it is yet to be released internationally, mystery has shrouded the movie since its first announcement. Mainly due to a lack of promotional material, with just a poster being the only thing to go out for months. Since then, we’ve been given tiny snippets, including some images from the movie.

An overview of the plot has also been revealed in a review from the AnimeNewsNetwork: “Our hero, Mahito, is a good kid – obedient and polite. But while he’s respectful to his aunt and the numerous elderly people she takes care of, he is self-destructing on the inside. What he wants is the old life he had in Tokyo with his father and mother – not this one in a new place where he knows no one and his father is already making a new family with his aunt.

“At first, he lashes out at himself – getting in a fight after school and then causing himself a gushing head wound so he doesn’t have to go back. Then, he moves on to lash out at something that can’t fight back – the blue heron living in a neighboring pond. The message here is clear. These are obvious outward signs of a troubled kid – both then and now. Pain and grief are universal things – and only by recognizing the signs can we help those in need.

“The film, for all its fantastical trappings, is the story of Mahito coming to accept what he still has – and fighting to make sure nothing more is taken away from him.”

But this trailer is no doubt going to get everyone more excited- and perhaps anxious, due to its dark tone. The Boy and the Heron is set to premiere not just at the Toronto Film Festival, but at the London BFI Festival as well, and we certainly can’t wait to see it.

For more Studio Ghibli coverage, head here, and for our Top 10 Ghibli movies, click here.