The Boy and the Heron

Japanese manga master Hayao Miyazaki, 83, came out of retirement for this hand-drawn beauty about his own life growing up in wartime. The Oscar for best animated feature belongs right here since Miyazaki’s unparalleled artistry shines out of every frame.

I just found it utterly transporting.

Visually, it's about as sumptuous as any of [Studio Ghibli's] films have ever been.

If this really is Miyazaki’s final word, then it’s a conclusion worthy of his legacy. At the same time, his imagination remains so vast, it feels like he could keep creating forever.

It seems almost churlish to note that this is middling Miyazaki at best.

In tone and design, there are welcome parallels with such Ghibli classics as Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s a thrilling journey for both young viewers and those with more cause to ponder the afterlife.

This is so singular and individual within both Miyazaki's filmography and Studio Ghibli's as a whole. It is spectacular to see how much thought and emotion has been put into every frame of the film. It really is so special we got this.

Truth be told, it's a Miyazaki animated film that boasts some pretty-looking animation work on the surface with its naturalistic flourishes, but sadly, its fantastical fable loses steam and has almost no emotion. [Full review in Spanish]

Strange, riveting and something only he [Miyazaki] could make.

I acknowledge that I didn’t understand this movie ... But for me, the experience of watching it the first time wasn’t charming, emotional, or even creative enough to make me want to see it again.