Less than 1 week after Academy Award-winning studio Ghibli's "Boy and Heron" made its streaming debut at Max, the Streamer has released a new documentary that jumps into the film's 7-year production period and how it has become legendary Hayao Miyazaki's most personal project to date It was 

"Hayao Miyazaki and Heron" was world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this year, but arriving at Max was far more modest French anime outlet Catsuka first discovered the 2-hour documentary at Max after a fan page drew attention to it in a thread on X (formerly Twitter) It features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the production process of "Boy and Heron" winding, which provides a window into the heart of Miyazaki's creative process and provides a "complex dance of friendship and deception" between him and longtime producer and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki

Ghibli documentary writer Akira Arakawa is again at the helm, producing several documentaries and mini-series about the legendary animator, including The Birth of Ponyo (2009), Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki and 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki (2019)

You can check the official trailer of the film on the Cannes Film Festival website "Hayao Miyazaki and Heron" is a 2-hour documentary documenting the production of a boy and heron, shot exclusively at Studio Ghibli, and has been filmed for an amazing 7 years It is also a record of Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki performing a complex dance of deception and friendship like Mahito and Heron, which pushed Miyazaki further into creativity and ultimately created an unprecedented masterpiece

"Boy and Heron," which can also be seen in Max, was originally conceived as Miyazaki's last feature film after announcing his short-lived retirement in 2013 Production began in 2017, then faced delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic and was completed in late 2022 

This documentary explores how his relationship with Suzuki, who has worked with Miyazaki since 1984's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, reflects the film's stubborn protagonist, Mahito, and the double heron that seduces him into a fantasy world outside of space-time 

Sometimes, it's a darker picture of an award-winning animator than you'd expect Miyazaki sees himself expressing frustration as he struggles to wrap his head around what the movie is about, and at one point "his brain is broken"His tumultuous creative process also affected Suzuki, "whenever I'm around him, he loses the ability to move between fantasy and reality and distinguish them"

The final product unmistakably combines the excitement of a young boy's imaginative, fantastical adventure with the weight of an older man's reflection, creating some tension between the animator and his work This exhibition showcases the similarities between the two "Shonen to Heron" is a feature-length animation work since "Spirited Away" in 2002The Japanese name of the film is roughly "How do you live?"And Miyazaki says in an interview that he was inspired to make it because there was no answer to that question Suzuki also says that Miyazaki wants to make a film for his grandson as a way to say goodbye as he approaches the end of his life 

Arakawa's documentaries are always hearty, but "Hayao Miyazaki and Heron" really sets a new bar This is a perfect tribute to one of the most prolific minds the animation world has ever known, and if you like "Boy and Heron" or any of Miyazaki's other works, you'll love it

If you haven't checked out Studio Ghibli's latest movie yet, but are planning, a helpful explanation of what you need to know before watching "Boy and Heron" "It's a great movie, I don't get it wrong, just good expectations are in and I'm enjoying much better"

In Max you can see both "Hayao Miyazaki and Heron" and "Boy and Heron" right now