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On Monday, April 29, 2024, GKIDS announced that they, along with Shout! Studios will release Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning The Boy and the Heron internationally on home video. The digital version of the movie will be released in June, followed by physical releases in July.
More specifically, The Boy and the Heron will be released by GKIDS for purchase on demand in HD and 4K on “all major” digital platforms starting Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The film will also be released in a physical edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Disc combo pack, a Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo pack, and a limited-edition steelbook edition with 4K UHD and Blu-ray Disc.
All three physical formats will be released on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, making The Boy and the Heron the first Studio Ghibli film released in a 4K UHD format. It was previously reported that the film would stream “exclusively” on Max, formerly known as HBO Max and that it would be made available for purchase at a later point. The film will stream on Netflix globally outside of the United States and Japan.
The Boy and the Heron confirms international home video releases via digital, 3 different physical formats
Special features on the home video releases for The Boy and the Heron include feature-length storyboards, interviews with composer Joe Hisaishi, Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, and supervising animator Takeshi Honda, a music video for Kenshi Yonezu’s theme song for the film “Spinning Globe,” trailers, and teasers.
The film won the Best Animated Feature Film category in the 96th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this year. It’s only Miyazaki’s second film to win the award after Spirited Away, but it is the fourth to be nominated. Howl’s Moving Castle was nominated in 2006 but lost, and The Wind Rises was nominated in 2014 but also lost.
In addition to an Oscars victory, the film also won other major awards, such as the Best Motion Picture—Animated category at the 81st Golden Globes Awards and Animation of the Year in the 47th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes. The film won additional awards beyond this and was nominated for several additional categories from various award bodies, which it did not win.
Miyazaki's latest film opened in Japan in July 2023, selling 1.003 million tickets and earning roughly USD 13.2 million in its first three days in Japanese theaters. The film ranked #1 in its opening weekend in the U.S. box office, earning USD 12,836,313 in its first three days.
Variety reported that it is the “first original anime production” to top the United States box office, meaning a film that wasn’t based upon an already existing franchise or series.
Before its release, the film was reported to be Miyazaki’s last before retirement. However, rumors that have swirled in the months since its original Japanese release suggest this may no longer be the case.
Related links:
Every Award won by Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and The Heron
Disney's loss becomes the internet's victory as The Boy and The Heron reaches #1 at US Box office
Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron surpasses Spirited Away's opening total
