Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron Is Coming to Netflix

Award-winning The Boy and The Heron will soon be part of the selection in the popular streaming and subscription service Netflix.

The Boy and The Heron tells the story of a young Mahito whose mother supposedly died during the Second World War. While adjusting to his new life in the countryside with his father, Mahito encounters a talking heron who leads him to an abandoned tower and tells him his mother is alive.

This creation from the renowned Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki scored an impressive $12 million opening at the North American box office during its theatrical run. During this month's Academy Awards night, the film also recently won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

Following this victory, the Netflix Anime official X account revealed that the popular anime is heading to Netflix. However, the account did not reveal when The Boy and The Heron will premiere on the website; instead, it told fans to “stay tuned” for a future announcement.

The Boy and The Heron’s victory during this year’s Oscar Awards defeated several fan favorites like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Disney’s Elemental. Fans and cast members of the first film were unhappy that the Marvel animated film lost to a Hayao Miyazaki creation, a fact that they announced all over social media.

Voice actor Shameik Moore initially described the loss as being “robbed.”

On the other hand, the GKids Films official X account announced following the Oscar victory that a limited re-run of The Boy and The Heron will be shown in North American theaters on an unspecified date.

The announcement also contained a message of thanks from Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, who, with Hayao Miyazaki, could not personally receive the Academy's award.