GKIDS announced The Boy and the Heron 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release date today, while also announcing that they will produce a special Steelbook edition of the film.
The Boy and the Heron will arrive on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray + DVD, as well as in a special Steelbook edition on July 9, 2024. Ahead of that, the film will be available to buy on all major digital platforms on June 25, 2024.
The Hayao Miyazaki Oscar-winning film will be the first-ever Studio Ghibli film presented in 4K, and include a variety of special features, including:
- Feature-Length Storyboards
- Interview with Composer Joe Hisaishi
- Interview with Producer Toshio Suzuki
- Interview with Supervising Animator Takeshi Honda
- Drawing with Takeshia Honda
- “Spinning Globe” Music Video
- Teasers & Trailers
What is The Boy and the Heron about?
“Through encounters with his friends and uncle, follows a teenage boy’s psychological development,” reads the synopsis. “He enters a magical world with a talking grey heron after finding an abandoned tower in his new town.”
The Boy and the Heron (originally titled How Do You Live) was written and directed by Miyazaki and served as his first directorial project in a decade. He’s best known for directing classics like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. The hand-drawn animated film features the voices of Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda (The Backwater), singer Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura (Confessions), Shōhei Hino (As Long as We Both Shall Live), Ko Shibasaki (47 Ronin), Takuya Kimura (Howl’s Moving Castle), and more.
It was produced by Studio Ghibli founder Toshio Suzuki. Its musical score hails from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi, and the film’s theme song, “Spinning Globe,” was penned and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu.
