Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron is a coming-of-age story filled with symbolism depicted through various characters and props, and one such character is the Noble Pelican. But what is the meaning of the Noble Pelican in The Boy and the Heron?
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What Is the Plot of The Boy and the Heron?
Miyazaki’s fantastical movie revolves around Mahito, who leaves Tokyo, following the brutal death of his mother Hisako in the Tokyo fire bombings.
After the tragic incident, Mahito and his father, Shoichi Maki, decide to move to a new town and live with Mahito’s pregnant maternal aunt Natsuko.
Wrestling with the dual challenges of coping with his mother’s loss and adjusting to his changing family dynamic, Mahito finds himself tormented by a talking heron.
This peculiar creature assures Mahito that by visiting a nearby deserted house, he can reunite with his late mother.
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What Is the Meaning of the Noble Pelican in The Boy and the Heron?
After the Heron convinces Mahito to enter the mystical tower, Mahito finds himself transported to another world, specifically to an island inhabited by a group of pelicans.
Spotted by a sailor Kiriko, Mahito is protected from the creature.
But she reprimands him for inadvertently opening the graveyard gates during the incident.
Guiding Mahito to her home, Kiriko cares for the Warawara, tiny blob-like spirits, nourishing them to ensure their transition from the spirit realm to the realm of existence.
Later during the night, Mahito and Kiriko witness the Warawara ascending, only to face a threat from pelicans attempting to eat them.
However, their predatory attempts are thwarted by Lady Himi, a young girl gifted with fire powers.
Mahito then comes across the Noble Pelican, who is severely wounded in the fiery explosion, and tells Mahito that the pelicans had no alternative but to devour the Warawara for sustenance.
In the story, the pelicans symbolize harbingers of death for the unborn as they kill and eat the Warawara.
As the Noble Pelican suggests that the pelicans go after the Warawara for sustenance, the story is likely suggesting themes around miscarriages and abortion.
In The Boy and the Heron, the Japanese voice actor portraying the Noble Pelican is Kaoru Kobayashi (Jiko Bou in Princess Mononoke).
Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe (Cob in Tales from Earthsea) has voiced the English dubbed version of the Noble Pelican.
What do you think of the Noble Pelican and its symbolism as the harbinger of death? Share your views with us on @epicstreamanime and @subarashiibaka.
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