Movie #3208 ........................."The Boy and the Heron" (theater)

 Movie #3208 "The Boy and the Heron" (theater)  okay, so I went to the theater today to see this film, thinking this is going to win the Oscar for best animation, and I left thinking the same thing --- I haven't seen all of the others, except for "Elemental" which I didn't personally like, but this one was well done.  But don't ask me to retell the story...........I understood the opening and followed along, and then about  a third of the way in, the heron comes to life and takes the kid to another universe full of pelicans who try to eat people, and military parakeets (who reminded me of the "Oreo" soldiers in "Wizard of Oz."  Since I was the only one in the theater, while continuing to watch, I thought I would check out the synopsis to see if it would help me along as to where the film was going............after reading about 5 sentences into a rather lengthy synopsis (go ahead, look it up --- it's quite convoluted), I decided i would just accept any strange thing that came across the screen, much like "Wizard of Oz" and hope it would lead me to some sort of message ---- and I think it did.  The film deals with rather heady subjects for a little kid --- grief over his mom dying and a big move as a result of his dad marrying his mom's sister, who is pregnant.  (yep, this isn't a cartoon for kids, in my opinion) So I am interpreting this trip the heron takes him on is  a dream that leads him to a better goodbye with his mom, and more acceptance of his new stepmom and little brother.  But what a trip it is!  This film is in the hands of one of the greatest animators of all times and as I understand, it is one of his last.  I am not a fan of anime, but he's a biggie in the genre and his films have been adored for years.  I'd give it a 4  out of 5 for the message and the outstanding tech work done here...... scary in some parts, wondrous in others, but a wild ride all around.  Why not have a story that is a little easier for the viewers to watch?  That doesn't seem to be the mantra for this year's batch of films.  

"THE BOY AND THE HERON"      2023    PG-13     2 hours and 4 minutes

A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.  There, death comes to an end, and life find a new beginning.   (Huh? I didn't get that at all - story is convoluted) 

Director:  Hayao Miyazaki

Writer;  Hayao Miyazaki

Actors:  Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, ko Shibasaki