The Boy and the Heron fingerprintStunning style, high energy.
Spectacular
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Awe-inspiring and melancholic
Much of it is about growing up and family.
Some absurdist humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Fantasy, growing up, and family
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Standout direction, performances, and characters
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
Standout cinematography, score, and visual style
A distinctive visual signature.
Spectacular
Builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
The Boy and the Heron is spectacular. The story builds slowly, so the intensity comes in waves.
Awe-inspiring and melancholic
Much of it is about growing up and family.
Emotionally, it's awe-inspiring, melancholic, and moving. Much of it is about growing up and family.
Some absurdist humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Expect some absurdist humor.
Fantasy, growing up, and family
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Its world is built around fantasy, growing up, and family. The setting feels lived-in and easy to get lost in. It holds up on a rewatch. It leaves some questions open.
Standout direction, performances, and characters
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
The direction, performances, and characters stand out. The plot is layered and rewards full attention.
Standout cinematography, score, and visual style
A distinctive visual signature.
Look and sound: the cinematography, score, and visual style stand out.
Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.
Where death comes to an end, life finds a new beginning.
Overall: Similar vibe.
Quick answers from GoodWatch data.
The Boy and the Heron is included with a subscription to HBO Max in the United States. You can also rent or buy it from Apple TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Google Play Movies. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.
Yes. It's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 85/100 (IMDb 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes 96%, and Metacritic 91). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.
It's rated PG-13 in the United States. Content advisories: violence and disturbing imagery.
2 h 4 min
The Boy and the Heron runs 2 h 4 min.
Not quite. Critics rate The Boy and the Heron higher (94) than audiences (78). It may be more rewarding than it is crowd-pleasing.
Yes, a big one. It cost about $50 million to make and earned $294 million worldwide, 5.9 times its budget.
It was made in Japanese. Produced in Japan.
+116GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for The Boy and the Heron in 130 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.
TV Tropes lists 59 storytelling tropes for The Boy and the Heron, including Company Cross-References, The Great Offscreen War, Miniature Senior Citizens.
7.3
