The Boy and the Heron

What’s it about?

A young boy named Mahito loses his mother in a fire and moves with his father out of Tokyo to a small village. A talking heron tells him that his mother is still alive, pushing him to enter an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.

The facts

• Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle)
• Japanese language or English dub
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Animated film by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke)
• Starring voice acting by Robert Pattinson, Luca Padovan, Christan Bale, Karen Fukuhara, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill and Dave Bautista

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence and cruelty

There is a school-yard physical fight where a group of students pick on a child. The scene is brief but includes punching and pushing.

A large sea creature is fished up and cut open for food.

A large group of carnivorous budgies intend to kill and eat humans.

While these scenes aren’t strong, younger tamariki might find them scary, especially paired with the slightly creepy style Studio Ghibli can sometimes have.

Self-harm and grief

Mahito is dealing with grief and big changes to his life. In one scene, he is upset and angry which pushes him to hit himself on the side of his head with a rock. Blood gushes from the wound. He spends the next day in bed and appears dizzy and in pain.

Coarse language

There is a bit of name-calling throughout the film, including the use of “turd” which is a repeated insult.

Recently we co-viewed The Boy and the Heron with members of our Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) and they told us that watching Studio Ghibli films bring them comfort and joy.

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Studio Ghibli, movies and mental health - blog
• Spirited Away guide
• Howl’s Moving Castle guide
• Princess Mononoke guide
• My Neighbor Totoro guide
• Ponyo guide
• Porco Rosso guide
• The Wind Rises guide
• Whisper of the Heart guide
• Grave of the Fireflies guide