Get the first reactions for Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli film HOW DO YOU LIVE? and story details revealed

Like many of you, I’ve been very curious Hayao MiyazakiStudio Ghibli’s latest film How do you live? Up to now, no details have been revealed regarding the story the film tells, and there is no marketing for the film, so we won’t see any trailer released for it. The closest thing to marketing are these early reactions to the film that have come online.

The film was made for Miyazaki’s grandson to say, “Grandpa will be moving to the afterlife soon, but he will leave this film behind.” The focus of this story is a boy who experiences the death of a loved one and comes to terms with it. Not just, “How do you live?” but rather, “How do you live when someone you love is gone forever?”

If you want to know the details of the story, I’ve included them under the social media reactions. If you don’t want to know any details about the story, read no further than Twitter embeds.

It seems like a very good story that is very much in the spirit of the types of movies Studio Ghibli makes. So what are people saying about the film?

Anime News Network says, “It’s really astounding. Each frame of this film feels like a separate work of art, only becoming grander when it is put together as part of a greater whole. It’s a film you could watch a hundred times and still discover new things against the background of every scene.” They added, “It’s an animation tour de force unlike anything seen in the past decade.”

They say: “All in all, How do you live? it succeeds in what it is trying to be: a roadmap to coping with the loss of a loved one wrapped up in a fantastic tale. It is designed to tell those suffering from such feelings that they are not alone, while also showing them how to find meaning in the greatly changed world they find themselves in. While it can be predictable at times, it is every bit the visual masterpiece you’ve come to expect from Miyazaki’s films and will undoubtedly become classics for decades to come. In the end, while it may not be the absolute pinnacle of Miyazaki’s movies, it’s still great, and certainly not bad for Miyazaki.

The BBC had this to say about the film: “The film is full of Miyazaki’s signature thematic obsessions, quirks and preoccupations. There are the usual visual treats, like cute but creepy creatures, good-looking food, and gravity-defying flights of fancy, mostly hand-drawn and moving with the fluidity and sense of weight that distinguish the master animator’s work. “.

They added: “How do you live? didn’t have the same level of release day hype that one might expect from a new outing from a director of Miyazaki fame. There have been no trailers or TV spots, and the only hint as to what the film might be has come via a single enigmatic poster.

Matteo Watzky says: “His presence on How do you live? plays no small role in the quality and novelty of the film. Miyazaki’s rich, rounded designs and movement remain as beautiful as they always were, but are balanced by thinner, elegant lines and features, and a freer expression than Miyazaki was used to controlling, particularly visible in the ‘heartbreaking and incorrect Ohira’s opening sequence or the film’s impressive climax. This may be the most original take on Miyazaki’s style since Katsuya Kondô’s beautifully delicate designs for Kiki’s Delivery Service.“

Here are a couple of tweets that were shared:

Here are the details of the story from the BBC:

The film is set in Japan during World War II and revolves around a boy named Mahito whose mother is killed in a fire.

Shortly thereafter, his father, who works in a factory that produces fighter planes, marries his late wife’s younger sister, Natsuko, and moves the family to his large ancestral home in the countryside.

Mahito, resentful of Natsuko for taking his mother’s place, begins to explore the area around the house and discovers a mysterious tower which he is told not to enter.

He also meets a gray heron who can talk (as seen on the movie poster) who claims that Mahito’s mother is actually alive and in the tower waiting to be rescued. Mahito dismisses this claim, but when his new stepmother goes missing in the tower he decides to save her.

Once inside, he is transported to an alternate world filled with magic where his quest brings him into contact with new friends and enemies.

Are you excited to watch this movie!?