Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron Explained

When it comes to making complex films, Studio Ghibli always hits it out of the park. The Boy and the Heron is no exception, as it deals with the complex feelings surrounding death, grief, and the acceptance of change. Throughout the film, the main character Mahito learns to deal with those feelings, learning crucial things along the way. In this article, we go over the plot, themes, explain the ending of the film, and much more.

The Boy and the Heron Explained

Movie expert Lexi Amoriello says The Boy and the Heron is about processing grief and accepting change. The main character, Mahito, grapples with his mother’s death as he goes on a journey to save his stepmother, Natsuko, from a mysterious realm. On his journey, he learns to accept his mother’s death and welcome Natsuko as his mother.^{[1]
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Lexi Amoriello
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Section 1 of 8:

What is The Boy and the Heron about?

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The Boy and the Heron follows a boy who’s grieving his mother’s death.^{[2]
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Lexi Amoriello
Movie and Film Content Creator

Expert Interview} Mahito is grieving over his mother’s death when he learns that he will be moving in with his father at his new stepmother’s home. He also learns that his stepmother is going to have a child soon, adding to his feelings of uneasiness around her. Although he has mixed feelings towards her, he enters a mysterious new realm without hesitation when he learns of his stepmother's disappearance. There, he meets and is guided by a mysterious heron.^{[3]
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- The heron lures him in with the idea that his mother still lives in the realm, and although Mahito is skeptical, he can’t help but find answers for himself.
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As he enters the realm, he is faced with many challenging events. Upon his arrival, Mahito meets a mysterious man who orders the heron to guide him through this other world. In the realm on his quest to save Natsuko, he sees pelicans that seem to eat everything in their path, meets a woman named Kiriko who helps him survive, and works his way through an army of pelicans who want to take over the world.
- Although the pelicans nearly eat him, he is saved by a mysterious fire-wielding woman named Lady Himi. Himi turns out to be his mother, presenting him with the opportunity to find closure.
- He is also tempted by his Granduncle to take over as ruler, since the Granduncle’s time is near and he needs a successor or else the world will perish.
- Kiriko turns out to be one of the old ladies who serve Mahito in the real world.
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He finds and rescues Natsuko, then accepts her as his new mother. When Mahito gets to Natsuko, he’s tested by the forces of the world when she shouts out in hatred at him (which is super out of character for her). It is only when he accepts her role as his new mother by calling her mother that she snaps out of her rage, but the two are both pulled back by mysterious papers before they can embrace. Lady Himi then makes a wish to save them, and they make their way to the Granduncle.
- Mahito refuses Granduncle's offer to rule the world, and when the leader of the pelicans attempts to reshape the world in his image after hearing the news, he accidentally speeds up its destruction.
- Along the way, Mahito’s mother accepts her fate despite Mahito’s pleas. She tells him she’s proud to have a son like him and that she’s not afraid of fire, allowing him to accept her fate, too.

Section 2 of 8:

The Boy and the Heron Themes & Messages

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The Boy and the Heron is a film about accepting change. The Boy and the Heron follows a boy named Mahito as he deals with the death of his mother, school bullies that don’t like him, and a new stepmother who he’s afraid to connect with. He is faced with a bunch of changes that he must accept throughout the film, and towards the end, he is asked to rule over a new world. At this point, he must either accept reality for what it is or begin a new world, testing his ability to accept change.^{[4]
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- Although he’s presented with the powerful opportunity of ruling a new world, Mahito refuses, wishing to return to the real world to live the life that’s waiting for him. This signifies his acceptance of the changes around him.
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The film also focuses on processing and navigating grief. The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito’s journey after losing his mother to a fire at her hospital. At the beginning of the film, Mahito struggles with the reality of his mother’s death, having recurring nightmares and being reluctant to form a relationship with Natsuko, his father's new wife and his mother’s sister. Although Mahito is reluctant to form a relationship with Natsuko at first, the two develop a mother-son relationship by the end of the film.^{[5]
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- When Natsuko is whisked away to the other world, Mahito doesn’t question his efforts to rescue her. This shows that he cares about her despite his grief for his mother.
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The film highlights the many challenges of growing up. At the beginning of The Boy and the Heron, Mahito is the son of a rich factory owner and has everything he needs, including a group of houseworkers who constantly tend to him. But over the course of the film, Mahito is forced to grow up. He deals with various challenges, like almost drowning in the sea and immediately having to row the boat, having to carve his own fish, and leading the journey to save Natsuko, which all push him to grow as a person.

Section 3 of 8:

What is the ending about?

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After the Parakeet King destroys the building blocks and the world begins to collapse, Mahito, Himi, Natsuko, and the Heron make their way to the transportation doors. At this point, Himi is revealed to be Mahito’s mother as a child. Before she leaves for her time, she gives Mahito the closure he needs by saying she’s excited to have a boy like him. This allows him to accept his grief and start his new life with his stepmother and father.^{[6]
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Section 4 of 8:

Who is the heron and why is he important?

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The Heron guides the boy through his journey of grief. In Japanese folklore, herons are associated with death, spirits, funerals, and other worlds. This is similar to how the Grey Heron serves as a guide for Mahito as he grapples with his grief.^{[7]
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Research source} At the beginning of the film, the heron is a frightening pseudo-antagonist who seems to cause trouble for Mahito. But as Mahito makes his way through the other world, the heron serves as his guide and helps him through his journey, assisting him in accepting his grief.
- Without the heron, Mahito would have never gone on his journey to the other world, and it likely would have taken him much longer to accept his grief over his mother’s passing.

Section 5 of 8:

What is the other world?

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The other world is a realm of souls created by the Granduncle. In it, there’s a dangerous sea that has giant waves, a flock of pelicans searching for food and a new way of rule under the Pelican King, souls from the past, and warawara, which are unborn human souls. The Granduncle, who is Mahito’s long-lost great uncle, created the world after a meteor fell from the heavens and granted him the power to create his own worlds.^{[8]
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- The Granduncle disappeared when the meteor fell from the heavens, only leaving the staircase leading to the realm behind on the property grounds.
- Growing tired from the world, which is tainted by malice and its people finding it harder and harder to live, the Granduncle brings Mahito there to make him the successor and hopefully improve on what he built.

Section 6 of 8:

What did the delivery room scene mean?

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The delivery room scene represents Mahito’s acceptance of Natsuko. When Mahito enters the delivery room, he’s told by Natsuko that he shouldn't be there. After telling him to leave, Natsuko uncharacteristically screams at him, telling him that she hates him as they’re both engulfed by mysterious papers. She continues until Mahito calls her mother, snapping her out of her anger. This represents a shift in the way Mahito sees Natsuko, as he sheds his fear of losing her and accepts that she is his new mother.^{[9]
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- Mahito’s determination to bring Natsuko back in this scene also represents his care for her, as he doesn’t let anything stop him from saving her.
- The papers seemingly control Natsuko’s decisions in this scene, with Mahito’s acceptance snapping her out of it.
- Himi also makes a wish for Natsuko to wake up and return home as Mahito’s mother after the paper tornado, further solidifying Natsuko’s role as Mahito’s new guardian.

Section 7 of 8:

What do Mahito’s dreams mean?

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Throughout the early moments of the film, Mahito is plagued by recurring nightmares of his mother’s final moments in the hospital fire. As he struggles through these nightmares, he repeats that he’ll save his mother, representing the trauma and tumultuous feelings he has over the death of his mother, who he is unable to save in reality.^{[10]
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Section 8 of 8:

Who is Hayao Miyazaki?

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Miyazaki is an extremely influential Japanese anime director who’s known for popular films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and of course, The Boy and the Heron.^{[11]
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Research source} He is known for creating films with deep, thought-provoking messages and beautiful, deliciously drawn foods paired with vibrant backgrounds.
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The Boy and the Heron represents Hayao Miyazaki’s journey as an artist. Seeing that The Boy and the Heron is considered one of Miyazaki’s final works, it’s fitting that it represents his journey as an artist. Mahito is a representation of Miyazaki, who also grew up during the war. Mahito’s Granduncle is a representation of Isao Takahata, Miyazaki’s senior animator who discovered his talent and founded Studio Ghibli alongside him and Toshio Suzuki. The Parakeet King is also considered a representation of Miyazaki.^{[12]
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- The Parakeet King’s quest for control throughout the film has been seen by some fans as a representation of Miyazaki trying to retain control of Studio Ghibli.
- Many believe the end of the film represents Miyazaki’s feelings about his career, and how even though not passing along his legacy means the end of his worlds, it may not always work out.^{[13]
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- The Parakeet King and the Granduncle’s relationship is said to be similar to the relationship between Takahata and Miyazaki.