Update: As of April 8, 2024 it has been confirmed to release in Indian theatres by Warner Bros. India, with PVR Pictures missing out on the rights of the movie.

Anime fans in India have been looking forward to the release of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest blockbuster anime film, The Boy And The Heron, ever since it released in Japan almost a year ago in July 2023.

The movie winning an Oscar only heightened the expectations and eagerness of the fans to catch the flick on the big screens.

Despite all the wait and the enthusiasm, it seems that Indian anime fans, and especially Miyazaki fans are in for a very disappointing news.

According to our sources in the industry, the chances of The Boy And The Heron movie getting a theatrical release by PVR Pictures in India seems quite slim (bar a miracle). The reason? The movie has already been confirmed for streaming on Netflix outside of the United States and Japan, and this made acquiring the rights of the movie next to impossible.

Going by the information we received, it would be wise to shift your attention to the Netflix premiere date for the movie.

The Boy And The Heron (called How Do You Live), released in Japan on July 14, 2023. It became the first ever Studio Ghibli film to get simultaneous IMAX release. It also became the first-ever animated film as well as Japanese film to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.

The movie experimented with an unconventional marketing strategy in which the studio decided not to promote the film.

Joe Hisashi composed music for the anime film. The film features 37 soundtracks including the theme song. Kenshi Yonezu performed the film’s theme song, “Chikyuugi”.

The plot of the film is described as:

The plot of the film is set during World War II. Mahito Maki, the protagonist, is a young boy who tragically lost his mother in a hospital fire. When his father remarries, they move from Tokyo to a countryside mansion. This mansion happens to be his mother’s ancestral home, and his father’s new wife is his mother’s sister. With complex emotions, Masato is guided by a mysterious gray heron and finds himself stepping into a different world.