Animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ to open TIFF 2023

Influential Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature in 10 years will open this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

“The Boy and the Heron” is a hand-drawn film, written and directed by Miyazaki. The coming-of-age movie centres on a boy who loses his mother during the Second World War and embarks on a journey into a magical world.

The Studio Ghibli production, which set box office records in Japan earlier this month, is the first Japanese or animated film to fill the high-profile opening-night slot at the festival.

The announcement signals a departure from the longtime event that often featured stateside directors and production studios.

While current SAG-AFTRA strike rules may prevent Hollywood stars from promoting their work, such rules wouldn’t affect international talents like Miyazaki or the actors in his film.

Film festivals have already seen the impact of the labour action — Venice lost its buzzy opener, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” starring Zendaya, when the studio pulled the film from the festival and delayed its theatrical release. It was replaced with Italian director Edoardo De Angelis’ “Comandante.”

In an interview earlier this week after the announcement of TIFF’s galas and special presentations, CEO Cameron Bailey touted a lineup of films from around the globe that wouldn’t be impacted by a Hollywood studio strike.

“We’ve got tons of international films that aren’t directly affected by the terms,” said Bailey in an interview on Monday.

Those include Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner, “Anatomy of a Fall,” Jonathan Glazer’s second prize victor, “The Zone of Interest,” and James Hawes’ “One Life,” starring Anthony Hopkins.

“People have seen massive crowds and fan excitement on the street for stars from India, South Korea and all kinds of places well beyond North America, so for a number of different reasons, I’m confident the festival will be able to deliver.”

“The Boy and the Heron” marks Miyazaki’s 12th cinematic feature, and the 82-year-old’s coming out of retirement.

Miyazaki, who won an Oscar for the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2001 film “Spirited Away” and received a nomination for 2013’s “The Wind Rises,” has long since been considered a brilliant storyteller and continues to inspire animators around the world.

He co-founded the now-prominent animation house Studio Ghibli in 1985 alongside fellow animator Takahata Isao and producer Suzuki Toshio.

Throughout his career, his art style has also been an emblematic drive to uphold his preference for hand-drawn art over the more traditional computer graphic approaches.

TIFF’s opening night selections have in the past welcomed various potential superstar appearances. In 2016, Denzel Washington graced the premiere of “The Magnificent Seven,” followed by Shia LaBeouf for “Borg vs. McEnroe” the next year.

When “Monsters and Men,” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, premiered in 2018, some audiences paid over $100 per ticket, with some expecting executive producer Drake to introduce the film. The rapper, however, ended up being a no-show.

Since the pandemic, the opening night films have been less flashy affairs.

Though Miyazaki may appear as an unconventional choice, it will appeal to cinephiles TIFF is hoping will return this year despite the dimming of Hollywood glitz and glamour.

“We are honoured to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.

“I look forward to our audience discovering its mysteries for themselves, but I can promise a singular, transformative experience.”

“The Boy and the Heron” will be distributed in North America by animation company GKIDS, with a theatrical release scheduled for later in the year.

The festival will run from Sept. 7 to 17.

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