The Boy and the Heron

"Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning."

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast

Soma Santoki

Mahito Maki (voice)

Masaki Suda

Gray Heron (voice)

Ko Shibasaki

Kiriko (voice)

Aimyon

Lady Himi (voice)

Yoshino Kimura

Natsuko (voice)

Takuya Kimura

Shoichi Maki (voice)

Keiko Takeshita

Izumi (voice)

Jun Fubuki

Utako (voice)