After years of secrecy, Studio Ghibli is finally sharing fourteen scene photos from Hayao Miyazaki’s vibrant new film, “The Boy and the Heron,” which were released on studio Ghibli’s official website, they were accompanied by a personal message from producer Toshio Suzuki, who wrote, “Please feel free to use them within the boundry of common sense.
At the same time, the names and voice actors of the main characters, which had not been officially announced until now, it was revealed that actor Souma Yamatoki (18) had been selected as the main character, Masato, along with Masaki Suda (30), Kou Shibasaki (42), and Takuya Kimura (50) , Aimyon(28), Shinobu Oatke（66）、Sawako Agawa(69).
The film is inspired by Yoshino Genzaburo’s 1937 story of the same name.
Set amid the events of World War II, the story follows a young boy named Mahito who, after the death of his mother, moves to a rural village to live with his stepmother Natsuko.
There, he encounters a gray heron that dubs him the “long-awaited one” and sets him off on an Alice in Wonderland-esque journey to save his family by traveling to a magical underground world.
“The Boy and the Heron,” which features an original score from Miyazaki’s longtime collaborator Joe Hisaishi, will also make its U.S. premiere at the New York Film Festival, which begins next month.
