Anime film buffs rejoice as The Boy and the Heron, one of the best animated films in years, will soon join Netflix’s streaming lineup after a successful distribution in theaters. Confirmed by Netflix Anime on X (formerly Twitter) the Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece is set to premiere on October 7, 2024, on the Netflix streaming service. This marks another major acquisition by the streaming giant as it appears to take its anime push increasingly seriously in light of new shows like Terminator Zero and upcoming tentpole releases like Blue Box and Sakamoto Days.
The Boy and the Heron was one of the biggest anime film releases of 2023 and, by extension, the last decade, with Hayao Miyazaki’s triumphant directorial re-emergence being an instant hit. It was a smash success in festival circles, a critical darling, a box office winner, and secured multiple prestigious year-end accolades as an anime film. The fact that it’ll be available on a platform as large as Netflix only boosts its appeal, with The Boy and the Heron being a must-watch going into the Fall 2024 season.
The Boy and the Heron Is One Of Miyazaki’s Finest
The Latest Acclaimed Film from One of Anime’s Best Directors
With Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial credits reaching back to 1979 and his earlier credited work reaching back over sixty years, it’s difficult to fathom The Boy and the Heron being yet another of his films to resonate with viewers worldwide. Netflix viewers will soon be blessed with this latest story if they haven’t seen it yet, as it’s a beautiful coming-of-age tale with shades of Miyazaki’s self-reflection as it parallels his upbringing.The Boy and the Heron scooped the Best Animated category at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Academy Awards in 2024’s awards season.
The Boy and the Heron will soon join Spirited Away, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, and many other irreplaceable Studio Ghibli classics as essential anime film experiences. The film follows Mahito Maki, who discovers a strange other world and a talking heron after a tragic incident that claims his mother’s life. It exhibits a sense of coming to terms with the past, evoking themes of post-war Japan, what direction the surviving citizens must go, and what sort of lives they will live, creating a powerful vision of national optimism.
The Boy and the Heron Confirms Netflix Is Serious About Upping Their Anime Game
A Hugely Desirable Acquisition for the Streaming Giant
After disconcerting developments, including Netflix’s recent leak incident and previous years having an underwhelming density of attractive releases, news of The Boy and the Heron, 2023’s best anime film, joining the service is an impressive turnaround. This, alongside developments like massive Weekly Shonen Jump adaptations like Sakamoto Days, Dan Da Dan, and Blue Box, shows the service’s acknowledgment of anime’s potential to drive viewership and subscribers to their platform. The Boy and the Heron is perhaps the most impressive acquisition.
However, for fans craving more Ghibli experiences outside The Boy and the Heron, finding streaming homes for any given film is difficult to pin down. In the United States, The Boy and the Heron and the rest of the Ghibli library have been streaming on the Max app since September 6, 2024, before joining Netflix on October 7, 2024. Still, for how ubiquitous Netflix is, this streaming acquisition of The Boy and the Heron, much like Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Jujutsu Kaisen 0, is sufficient for viewers not wishing to be inundated with subscription services.
