Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron has been on a roll since its release and has been making news for a long time. The series has earned the applause of critics and fans calling it one of the best anime movies ever created by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli in their careers as anime movie makers.
The Boy and The Heron tells the tale of Mahito Maki, a young soldier in the Pacific War, who, following the death of his mother, finds an abandoned tower close to his new home and ventures into a magical realm inhabited by a talking grey heron. The Boy and the Heron was theatrically released in Japan on July 14, 2023, by Toho, and it has taken the anime industry by storm.
And now, the movie has added another star to its collection of awards and medals as The Boy and the Heron has won the Animated Film prize at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. This has not only marked a great achievement for the movie and the studio but for the entire anime industry.
The Boy and The Heron Wins Best Animated Film at the BAFTAs
The Boy and the Heron has won “Best Animated Film” at the BAFTAs, making it the first non-American film to do so. The film was Miyazaki’s first since 2013’s The Wind Rises, produced by the venerable Studio Ghibli.
Along with other popular films, including Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Disney’s Elemental, and British sensation Aardman’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature. The ceremony also marked the first time an anime film had been nominated for the award, which was founded in 2006.
The Boy and The Heron is the first Japanese film to win this honor, demonstrating Hayao Miyazaki’s continuing popularity around the world. Another noteworthy accomplishment for the film is that it broke an 18-year record of US-funded projects coming out on top of Best Animated Film at the BAFTAs by taking home the prize.
Awards and Achievements of The Boy and The Heron
Since its debut, The Boy and the Heron has caused quite a stir. The movie has made over US$166 million in box office receipts globally and garnered critical acclaim. It has not only won the BAFTA for Best Animated Film, but also recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, among other honors.
This film has also recently received two prestigious Annie Awards, for Best Character Animation Feature and Best Storyboarding Feature. At the Annie Awards, the film received seven nominations. Miyazaki’s recognition as a respected figure in the animation industry is further cemented by this, his first BAFTA victory.
As one of his final movies, The Boy and The Heron, has rightfully given the recognition and respect Miyazaki deserved after working for so many years in the anime film industry. If the movie also wins the nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, it will truly become the best movie Studio Ghibli has ever created.
