Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, retitled ‘The Boy and the Heron’, has been picked up by GKIDS for North American distribution

The highly anticipated final film from Japanese anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, recently re-dubbed into English The boy and the heron, was picked up by animation distributor GKIDS for release in North America later this year. The deal continues Studio Ghibli’s longstanding partnership with GKIDS for the distribution of its titles in the United States

Released in Japan on Friday as Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka (translated as How do you live?), the film is an original story written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, and features a score by longtime Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi.
Formerly referred to informally in the English-language press by its working title, How do you live?the official international title was revealed on Friday as The boy and the heron.

The hand-drawn animated feature — Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years — opens exclusively in Japanese theaters this weekend. In an unprecedented move by Studio Ghibli, aside from an enigmatic poster (below), no images, trailers, synopses, advertisements, or other information about the film have been made available to the public before its theatrical release in Japan. In keeping with this policy, GKIDS will not be releasing any further details or marketing material about the film.

“Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend of cinema, as evidenced by his Oscar win for The enchanted city and her two Academy Award nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle AND The wind rises,’” said David Jesteadt, president of GKIDS. “It has been ten years since the world has seen a new film from Miyazaki-san, and GKIDS is so proud and honored to unveil its latest, highly anticipated masterpiece in North America.”