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Ah Miyazaki films, the weirdest non-drug-trip trip you could ever go on. This guy loves weird, and this film is no exception. Young Mahito loses his mother in the war. His father remarries and moves him out to the countryside, where he is pestered by a bird/creepy dude who tells them that if Mahito follows the birdman, he can see his mother again. He follows the bird and begins an adventure filled with aggressive parrots, crazy wizards, bubble souls ascending to be reborn, and a game of blocks that are filled with malice. The journey brings the boy through major challenges, only to discover that the love he has waiting for him at home with his father and his stepmother and their new baby is what he has truly been chasing all along.
I'm usually iffy with Miyazaki movies. They are way out there for me, and I'd love to be one of those people who loves these crazy adventures that seemingly make no sense. But I actually really liked this one, and it's one of the only Miyazaki films where I found the crazy stuff to have a real point, and be useful in the storytelling. I know there are those anime fans who are probably ready to crucify me for saying so (and I'll admit, at the appearance of the insane bird/man, I was none too thrilled like, here we go again), but at least I'm on board with The Boy and the Heron. It's a journey, to be sure, but it is an excellent piece of animated storytelling. If you don't like weird, this film is definitely not for you.
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