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.

If this Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature isn’t quite as mesmerizing as many of Miyazaki's past triumphs, it’s still a worthy achievement demonstrating that he retains his ability to create phantasmagorical worlds.

The Boy and the Heron is another colourful gem to add to the filmography of one of cinema’s greatest contributors.

Hayao Miyazaki taps once again into one of his favourite recurring themes, and pulls out all the stops to truly immerse us into his vision, indulgent and crowded at times though it may be.

The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s most metaphorical animated film to date, a bitter-sweet adventure story that, in a nutshell, portrays a bumpy road in trying to come to terms with one’s traumatic past.