Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2024) is a documentary about the making of The Boy and the Heron, free to watch online on iFILM. For seven years, director Kaku Arakawa kept his camera trained on Miyazaki inside Studio Ghibli.

Seven years is how long the master spent hand-drawing the film, and the footage records all of it: the doubts, the long silences, the arguments, and the rare moment when an idea finally clicks. At his side is producer and old friend Toshio Suzuki, the man behind every Ghibli release. This is no polished tribute — it watches over the shoulder of a grumbling, exhausted, work-obsessed artist well into his eighties.

For anyone raised on Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, Arakawa's film is a rare look at what hand-drawn animation actually costs and why Miyazaki keeps returning to the desk. Stream Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2024) online on iFILM.