THE BOY AND THE HERON 12A

Miyazaki in full feather...

- MATT MAYTUM

OUT 26 DECEMBER CINEMAS

Ten years ago, The Wind Rises was set to be animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki’s feature-film swansong. But now he’s returned with The Boy and the Heron, which may or may not be his final movie (reports are circulating that he might be coming up with more ideas for Studio Ghibli, the anime powerhouse he co-founded; see news story, page 11).

If this were to be his last film as writer/director, it’s a fitting send-off. It’s a testament to his mastery that the film opened in Japan with an unprecedented lack of pre-release promo and still stormed the box office. Around the world, Miyazaki’s name is synonymous with virtuosity and imagination, and it’s unusual to find someone working in animation who doesn’t cite him as an influence.

It would be all but impossible for The Boy and the Heron (which is available in both Japanese and English-language versions) to soar as high as Miyazaki’s most celebrated works (My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away). And so it proves. But that’s hardly a damning statement about a film chock-full of heart and whimsy. The film manages to be in the tradition of his previous works, without feeling like microwaved leftovers.