Miyazaki Makes History: ‘Boy and The Heron’ Gives the Anime World its Second Oscar

Summary

• Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ won Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony.  
• This is Miyazaki’s second Oscar after 20 long years.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most influential figures in the history of anime, and he has captured the audience worldwide through his magical films. Despite its long history, the anime community hasn’t received enough recognition from the Oscars.

Spirited Away was the first anime film to win an Oscar, and that was almost 2 decades ago. After a long, barren streak, Miyazaki showed his scintillating potential again and made the anime community proud. 

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ film won the Best Animated Feature Film category in the 96th Academy Awards ceremony. 

The film was nominated alongside the revolutionary Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Nimona, Robot Dreams, and Elemental. So, we know it had some tough competition. 

While some International fans were disappointed that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse wasn’t nominated for the Oscars, many others acknowledged the humongous work that went into the anime film.

Studio Ghibli’s Vice-President Kiyofumi Nakajima received the award and explained why neither Miyazaki nor Suzuki could not attend the event. He jokingly used their advanced age bracket as the reason and also conveyed Suzuki’s gratitude.

This project started after Hayao Miyazaki retracted his retirement status. After working on this project for seven years, the efforts of the director and the studio finally paid off. He is one of the oldest filmmakers to receive the award in the animated feature category, achieving this at the remarkable age of 83.

The audience was awestruck by the final result, and the rest is, of course, history. It is one of the proudest anime moments, and fans are incredibly delighted by this news.

About “The Boy and The Heron”

“The Boy and The Heron” (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) is an anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The story is inspired by the novel of the same name by Genzaburo Yoshino, first published in 1937 and set in pre-war Japan.

The novel tells the story of Copper, a fifteen-year-old boy who lives in Tokyo, watches thousands of people every day and wonders about anything and everything. After his father’s death, he goes on a journey of philosophical enlightenment and uses his knowledge to determine the best way to live!

Source: Oscars