The Academy Award-winning filmmaker’s first feature in 10 years opens this weekend in Japan, will hit theaters in North America later this year.
GKIDS has announced the acquisition of all North American distribution rights to The Boy and The Heron, the highly anticipated new film from Academy Award-winning Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Japan’s celebrated animation house, Studio Ghibli. Released in Japan as Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka (translated as How Do You Live), the film is an original story directed by Miyazaki and produced by the Oscar-winning Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki. It features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
The deal marks a continuation of GKIDS’ long-standing relationship with Ghibli; the distributor will release The Boy and The Heron theatrically in North America later this year.
The hand-drawn, animated feature – director Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years – opens exclusively in Japanese cinemas this weekend. In an unprecedented decision by Studio Ghibli, no images, trailers, synopses, advertisements, or other information about the film have been made available to the public before its release in Japan. GKIDS will not release any further details or marketing materials per this policy.
“Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend in filmmaking, as evidenced by his Academy Award win for Spirited Away and his two Oscar nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises,’” said GKIDS president David Jesteadt. “It’s been 10 years since the world has seen a new film from Miyazaki-san, and GKIDS is so proud and honored to unveil his latest, highly anticipated masterpiece in North America.”
GKIDS handles North American distribution for the Studio Ghibli library of films across all theatrical, home video, digital, and streaming platforms. It released Studio Ghibli’s most recent films in theaters nationwide, including the Academy Award-nominated The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, the Academy Award-nominated When Marnie Was There, and From Up on Poppy Hill. In addition, since 2017, GKIDS has produced the annual Studio Ghibli Fest, a monthly nationwide theatrical program of Ghibli film screenings in over 800 theaters nationwide. The series continues this year with a focus on the films of Miyazaki.
Source: GKIDS
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
