After his retirement, Hayao Miyazaki returns to the world of animation with the film THE BOY AND THE HERON, which premiered during the last weeks of 2023 and has become a major artistic event for the beginning of 2024. It is an animated film that celebrates the return of the great Japanese director, but also makes it clear that the uniqueness of an artist manifests itself in unexpected ways and is unrepeatable.

THE BOY AND THE HERON is based on the novel HOW DO YOU LIVE?, published in 1937 and written by Genzaburo Yoshino. It tells the story of a boy who must cope with his mother's death and his father's new life, as he marries the deceased woman's sister and has another child with her. But where everything seems destined to be a tearful melodrama, Miyazaki's film unleashes boundless imagination, presenting universes reminiscent of his earlier films, yet still managing to surprise everyone who goes to the theater.

Although the formal archetypes established by the director's own career are present in the film, new aesthetic approaches emerge in this work. Examples include sequences that evoke Expressionist painting and scenes in which the Impressionism of the avant-garde is skillfully employed to construct the most emotionally charged moments. Those attending screenings of the film express their appreciation with applause. The story has a strong autobiographical element and is particularly moving in allowing the characters to reconnect with their deceased loved ones.

Then, with THE BOY AND THE HERON, the uncertainty about the risk of being replaced by artificial intelligence becomes relative, and it becomes clear that unique creators like Miyazaki appear once and are only repeated when their films are seen again.