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Celluloid
AnimationFantasyDrama TIFF 2023

The Boy and the Heron

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · 2023 ·

LLM fact sheet (.md)

Answer Summary: Is The Boy and the Heron worth watching?

The Boy and the Heron (2023) earns a 70% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

Quick Verdict: What is the Celluloid Score for The Boy and the Heron?

Calculated from 4 available inputs: Celluloid editorial rating, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb. Audience sentiment is shown separately and never changes the composite. See how we calculate scores.

70%
Celluloid Score Recommended

4-input transparent breakdown

74% Editorial Rating
77% Audience snapshot · excluded
63 Metascore
★★★☆☆ Letterboxd 3.4
7.4 IMDb /10
Watch Trailer
Runtime
2h 4m
Cast
Soma Santoki , Masaki Suda , Ko Shibasaki , Aimyon , Yoshino Kimura , Takuya Kimura , Keiko Takeshita , Jun Fubuki , Sawako Agawa , Karen Takizawa
Streaming
HBO Max
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese

🏆 1 award win — Won Best Animated Feature, Academy Awards 2024

Where to watch

  • HBO Max

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home, Spectrum On Demand

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Where to watch The Boy and the Heron by country

Country Streaming on
India Netflix
Indonesia Netflix
Malaysia Netflix
Nigeria Netflix
Pakistan Netflix
Philippines Netflix
South Africa Netflix
South Korea Netflix
Thailand Netflix
Turkey Netflix
United Arab Emirates Netflix
United Kingdom Netflix
United States HBO Max

Subscription availability, refreshed from TMDB. Rental and purchase options may differ.

Why this score?

  • Celluloid's editorial rating is positive (74/100).
  • General viewers mostly liked it (77%).
  • Metascore is generally favorable (63/100).
  • Celluloid Score 70% combines 4 verified rating inputs; audience sentiment is shown separately.

Best for

  • Fans of Animation

Not ideal for

  • Viewers who only watch top-tier, 90%+ rated films

Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

Streaming availability, artwork and title metadata courtesy of TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Is The Boy and the Heron worth watching?

Yes — The Boy and the Heron earns a 70% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.

Celluloid Verdict

Miyazaki’s late-career fantasy — Oscar Best Animated Feature — layers personal history under surreal adventure.

Celluloid editorial verdict

Critics and audiences are closely aligned on this one.

What is The Boy and the Heron about?

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."

Watch the Trailer

Critic Reviews

critic The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron (2023) Review

Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (2023) remains a defining Animation landmark from Japan, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.

Kaiser Khan Founder & Editor

The Boy and the Heron stills

Official production imagery supplied through TMDB, kept with the movie instead of split into a thin gallery page.

The Boy and the Heron production still 1
The Boy and the Heron production still 2
The Boy and the Heron production still 3
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The Boy and the Heron production still 5
The Boy and the Heron production still 6

Images courtesy of TMDB. TMDB does not endorse or certify Celluloid.

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