The first images of Hayao Miyazaki’s new film are finally visible

The Boy and the Heron was released in Japan without a promo, but its booklet now reveals some photos.

For the new realization of Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron (previously titled How do you live?), Studio Ghibli’s flagship producer, Toshio Suzuki, decided to do not plan a promotion. Only a poster and a vague pitch were unveiled, then the Japanese were invited to discover it in theaters without having seen a teaser of the animated film.

Hayao Miyazaki worries about the lack of promotion around his latest film

Everything rested on the reputation of the director of Totorowho did not hide his concern about this exit strategy… But it finally succeeded in convincing the public: in the first weekend, around July 14, the film broke box office records, then it was maintained over time, even if it did not appear in the filmmaker’s top 3 in the end. With 5 billion yen collected in one month (about 40 million US dollars), it should finish its race at the end of the top 5 after Spirited away and its 31.7 billion earned in 2001, Princess Mononoke (20 billion), The Howl’s Moving Castle (19.6), Ponyo on the cliff (15.5) and The wind picks up (12).

We don’t know yet when it will be released. The Boy and the Heron in the West, nor in the United States, nor in France, but the film will be shown very soon as part of TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival. We can now admire some drawings, revealed in a booklet accompanying its Japanese release, but shared without any context so as not to spoil future viewers. However, we recognize the filmmaker’s particular visual style, and this handful of drawings are intriguing enough to make you want to see more…