‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy

“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" is a remarkable exploration of artistry, mortality and resilience. Directed by Kaku Arakawa, it chronicles Hayao Miyazaki’s six-year journey crafting what may be his final masterpiece, “ The Boy and the Heron .” First aired by NHK in 2023 and re-edited for its Cannes premiere this year, the documentary provides an unfiltered, in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.

It has reached wider audiences on Max, Amazon Prime, and, as of Dec. 6, on Netflix in 117 countries. With this film, Arakawa delivers his most intimate exploration yet of the celebrated animator he has documented for decades.



His other two best-known Miyazaki portraits are ”Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki” (2016), capturing Miyazaki’s return from retirement to experiment with CGI, and ”10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki” (2019), a four-part series chronicling a decade of his life and work..