The latest Studio Ghibli film, The Boy and the Heron will be making its way to Blu-ray this summer. In a twist, it will also be released on 4K Blu-ray.
GKIDS announced that The Boy and the Heron will hit Blu-ray on July 9. The film will also be released on all major digital platforms. Additionally, each copy of the “first run” will include a poster. Fans can pre-order the film now.
The film will be the first Studio Ghibli release to receive a 4K UHD Blu-ray release. This is a huge moment for the animation studio. Perhaps this means that other films from Hayao Miyazaki, like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, will also receive 4K UHD Blu-ray remasters.
A standard 4K UHG Blu-ray will be available. But die-hard fans can purchase a Steelbook edition of the film. The cover artwork of the Steelbook features Mahito and the Warawara.
Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron is the latest film from the acclaimed director. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and has been the creative mind behind some of the animated genre's most iconic films.
Some of Miyazaki's early work included My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Spirited Away won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars in 2003.
His other films include Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo.
What is The Boy and the Heron?
2013's The Wind Rises was thought to be Miyazaki's swan song. However, a decade later, he returned with The Boy and the Heron.
The film follows a young boy, Mahito, who loses his mother in a hospital fire. His father ends up marrying his late wife's sister. This upsets Mahito, who begins spiraling upon moving to her estate.
While there, Mahito begins being tormented by a talking grey heron. He follows him to a fantastical world and embarks on a journey.
The Boy and the Heron premiered in Japan before making its way to North America months later. It had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film was later released in theaters, including IMAX screenings, in December 2023.
An English dub was also recorded and released. Robert Pattinson leads the star-studded ensemble. Dave Bautista, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Willem Dafoe, and Dan Stevens were amongst the others featured.
The film was a success. The Boy and the Heron made a total of $173 million worldwide. Roughly $46 million of that haul came domestically. The film took in another $126 million overseas.
At the Oscars, The Boy and the Heron won Best Animated Feature. It beat out the likes of Pixar's Elemental, Nimona, Robot Dreams, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This was Miyazaki's second Best Animated Feature win after Spirited Away did it decades earlier.
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