This Miyazaki cartoon should have been a triumph, but turned out to be a failure (even before its premiere)

On July 4, 2024, the Russian premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s new film “The Boy and the Bird” took place. The premiere was long-awaited and hard-won. The creator’s fans are very devoted; they are ready to “suffer” for years for the release of the master’s next masterpiece.

And since the anime was so eagerly awaited, they expected at least a “wow” effect (forgive the tautology), but unfortunately it didn’t happen. It’s true that this didn’t stop the film from receiving an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and a Golden Globe for a similar achievement.

However, loyal fans of Miyazaki’s work do not consider his latest creation a masterpiece. Storyline? After the mysterious disappearance of his mother, Mahito moves to a small town in the company of his father. There he meets a heron – a guide to a new and unusual world, behind the door of which adventures begin and secrets are revealed.

Why did the film reach viewers less than usual? Loyal fans know for sure: the anime is not much different from the previous one, from animation to plot. The film did not come out with a multi-layered philosophical plot, which fans think about for hours and days, but as a bright, beautiful, but quite simple anime.

Frame from the movie “The Boy and the Bird”

Many devoted fans unanimously agree: they wanted something more, and it was this “little” that was not enough to recognize “The Boy and the Bird” as a masterpiece. Yes, Miyazaki’s film has huge box office receipts, and yes, a large number of awards. But all this seems not enough, not enough. The creator has set the bar too high…