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The Boy and the Heron Ending Explained

Summary

In The Boy and the Heron, Mahito embarks on a magical journey of self-discovery, in a moving story about love, loss and self-discovery.
Mahito's journey is one of transformation as he learns the true meaning of life in an alternate realm filled with quirky characters and life lessons.
The Boy and the Crane, Miyazaki's latest masterpiece, explores themes of family, grief, and redemption in a visually stunning and emotionally resonant story.

When it comes to Hayao Miyazaki's films, it's hard to decide which is the best of the best. The animator, filmmaker, and anime artist has so many compelling, existential stories about love and loss that they compete for the top spot. Princess Mononoke, Away from spirit and Howl's Moving Castle are some examples that displayed Miyazaki's themes, which contributed to his films becoming so beloved.

Now, fans are basking in the captivating glow of The Boy and the Heron; his first cinematic effort in a decade. The Boy and the Heron touches on all the main themes of Studio Ghibli, focusing on a boy named Mahito. The boy is thrown into an alternate reality where he hopes to find his stepmother, Natsuko. As the ending unfolds, The Boy and the Heron stands out as a journey of self-discovery and coming of age as Mahito learns the true meaning of life. In many ways, The Boy and the Heron might just be Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's best film yet – and its ending is a big reason why.

A comprehensive look at all the revelations of the documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, from the artistic process to the Studio Ghibli drama.

What happens to Mahito in The Boy and the Heron?

Mahito embarks on a wonderful, life-affirming, magical journey

Sophie de Howl's Moving Castle, Chihiro de Spirited Away e Mahito Maki de The Boy and The Heron

Every Miyazaki classic, every Studio Ghibli deep cut, every box office gross.

Writer	Director	Producer	Production company	Distributor	Debut year
Hayao Miyazaki	Hayao Miyazaki	Toshio Suzuki	Studio Ghibli	That one	2023

During the Pacific War in Tokyo, Mahito's mother, Hisako, dies in a hospital fire following an air raid. Mahito's father, Shoichi, the owner of an aerial munitions factory, ends up marrying his late wife's sister, Natsuko. This makes Mahito somewhat uncomfortable. He is not at all receptive to her, even after they move to his country estate, which was supposed to give him peace of mind and a mental reset. Natsuko's pregnancy alienates him even further. He misses his mother and feels his father is moving on too quickly. This causes him problems at school.

Mahito wants to wallow in grief and self-pity while crying. This results in a strange Gray Crane leading him to a tower. This is the last known location of Natsuko's "great-uncle," a clever architect whose disappearance remains a mystery. The crane is actually a man dressed as a bird, ironically named Birdman. However, he is untrustworthy. He eventually teleported Mahito to the ethereal realm within the tower after Natsuko disappeared into the forest.

The frightened boy embarks on a series of adventures. He wants to bring Natsuko back after she ventured into the forest. He realizes she may very well be lost in this dimension. He's not alone, however. One of Natsuko's maids—Kiriko—joins him. However, her form is different in the alternate reality. She uses a wand to breathe fire and becomes a warrior who protests against the gentle spirits of the cruel pelicans in the ocean. There's also Himi, a pyrokinetic who watches over the kingdom.

The Boy and the Heron Kiriko and Himi explain what life is, how precious it is, and that the little time people have should not be wasted. This convinces the Birdman prankster to befriend Mahito. As for Mahito, upon finding a door to return home, he refuses to return. His father and the search party spot him, but he rushes back to the mystical world. Mahito realizes he is wiser and better equipped to find Natsuko. Leaving now would make him a coward, so he selflessly risks his life to continue the mission.

Who is the wizard of the boy and the crane?

The wizard offers Mahito a devilish deal

Cabeça de nabo de Howl's Moving Castle e cena de elevador de Spirited Away

From Calcifer to Soot Sprites, Kiki's Delivery Service to Princess Mononoke, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud Studio Ghibli moments.

The Boy and the Heron is Hayao Miyazaki's first film since 2013 The wind rises.
The Boy and the Heron has a 7.6 rating on IMDb; the film has a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Parakeet King and his parakeet army are the villains of this world. Like the pelicans, they desire power, food, wealth, and so on. They are very indicative of humanity and how humanity always seeks to prosper, even at the expense of others. In fact, they are holding Natsuko hostage, hoping to hand her over as a bargaining chip to the wizard who rules the kingdom. This wizard is none other than Mahito's great-uncle.

Mahito eventually meets him in a dream, where he discovers the truth: the old man entered this world and has been using unique pillars and blocks to continue building it. He wants a successor, so he tasked Birdman with bringing the boy. The parakeets, however, are skeptical of change, so they took Natsuko. Like Mahito, they fear the future. It's understandable why they wonder if he will show sympathy for their cause.

He can be arrogant like the wizard and lack the necessary compassion and empathy. Thus, rivalry and war began. Mahito didn't like what the wizard did. The boy sees this life as a tragedy; one in which one must become cold, cruel, and heartless. The power of being a god doesn't appeal to him. This shows his maturity and that he is incorporating what Kiriko and Himi taught him. Mahito also realizes that the blocks the old man uses are full of malice.

He can't be a part of this. He wants to heal and use love in the real world to shape his life. But to do so, he needs to experience life in its formative years. The magician thinks this false world is a gift, but Mahito admits it's nothing more than a curse. The Parakeet King, however, steals the blocks, but the world he builds becomes unstable and begins to erode. Once again, selfish people fail to create the utopias they desire, shaping the king as someone like the magician: a failure, but not for lack of trying.

Mahito meets Natsuko in The Boy and the Heron?

Mahito finally understands an important message about family

Imagens divididas de O menino e a garça, Spirited Away e Ponyo

Many Studio Ghibli films, such as Grave of the Fireflies, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, have received English dubs, but which one is the best?

The Boy and the Heron has amassed over US$1.4 billion in box office receipts to date.
The Boy and the Heron is the fifth highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.

Mahito manages to rescue Natsuko from the villains. He also rescues Himi, discovering that she is a younger version of her mother. Fate would have it that Hisako herself was trapped in this world when she was younger. She became a freedom fighter, all as part of a time loop. This younger version of her participates in Mahito's mission, but her destiny is to return to her own timeline. She would grow up, get married, and have Mahito.

She doesn't want to change time. She accepts her destiny and is grateful for the moments to come. As such, fans can see that Mahito has become Hisako's son. She returns to live that predestined life, while Mahito returns home with Kiriko. Birdman advises him not to hide a stone of his great-uncle's power. It's better to forget this fantasy and embrace the real world more. Ultimately, Mahito returns, but he retains the most important lesson of the mission: to evolve.

Mahito and his family return to Tokyo. Shoichi is overcoming the pain Tokyo brought him. His munitions factory contributed to the war, so he felt guilty about the hospital bombing. Now he feels free. Natsuko also has her son, so she doesn't mind the new beginning, especially with the supernatural mission being a blur. Part of her thinks it's a fever dream. Mahito is also happy to be back where he had friends and people he missed. This will help him and his father feel whole again.

Are the boy and the crane connected to Miyazaki's life?

Miyazaki shares several similarities with Mahito in The Boy and the Crane

Imagens divididas de Bento Box, Catbus e Lady Eboshi

Disney's animation may have inspired Studio Ghibli, but there's a lot the House of Mouse could learn from Miyazaki's legendary studio.

The Boy and the Heron won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.
The Boy and the Heron also won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.
Most notably, The Boy and the Heron won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2023.

There are many familiar elements in Miyazaki's personal life. His father, Katsuji, helped manufacture aircraft for the Japanese during World War II, while his mother, Yoshiko, died of illness in 1983 at the age of 72. So it's clear that Miyazaki, as in many other Studio Ghibli films, is still processing the trauma of his past. There's plenty of it in Mahito, but Studio Ghibli Producer Toshio Suzuki thinks part of King Parakeet is based on Miyazaki.

Christian Bale, O Menino e a Garça e Hayao Miyazaki

Take a trip to another world with the most interesting Easter eggs and hidden details from the Boy and the Crane.

It stars Isao Takahata, Miyazaki's senior animator who truly discovered his talent, as the wizard, and Miyazaki as the leader of the Parakeets, desperate to fix a broken world. The film's literal meaning is "How Do You Live?", which addresses Mahito's need to do good deeds as he learns more about himself. This also explains why Miyazaki always makes such films full of childlike wonder that encourage people to be more optimistic.

This type of differentiated narrative helped The Boy and the Heron garnered widespread acclaim. Fortunately, critics and fans alike connected with Mahito's transformation as he overcame gnawing pain, inner conflict, and a lack of control. Mahito becomes hopeful, inspired, and excited about an imperfect and unpredictable post-war world. Ultimately, he understands he has a second chance. And that to appreciate life, one must absorb the good, the bad, and the ugly, while cherishing the memories made in the present. The Boy and the Heron is nothing short of beautiful.

Mahito Maki olha para trás no pôster de O Menino e a Garça (2023)

The Boy and the Heron

A boy named Mahito, yearning for his mother, ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death ends and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Release date: December 8, 2023
Cast: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Takuya Kimura, Aimyon
Execution time: 2 hours and 4 minutes
Production company: Studio Ghibli, Toho Company