Background Art From ‘The Boy and the Heron’ on Display at Studio Ghibli Museum; Features 120 Drawings for Film Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:28 JST, November 25, 2024

The background art from Studio Ghibli’s animated film “Kimitachi wa Do Ikiru ka?” (The Boy and the Heron) is the focus of a special exhibition showing at the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, in Mitaka, Tokyo.

“The Boy and the Heron Part 3: Background Art,” which started Saturday, features 120 drawings for the film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film is a fantasy adventure in which a boy named Mahito, whose mother died during World War II, encounters a mysterious grey heron who leads him to a world where life and death are blended into one.

All of the background art was hand-drawn by the 12 members of the art team.

Among those on display are drawings of the mountain scenery used in the film’s title sequence, the streets of the town to where Mahito evacuated — shown at the beginning of the story — and the exterior and interior of a tower that Mahito visits.

“I want visitors to enjoy the drawings by the art staff who were immersed in the world of the work and experience the feeling of being drawn into the story,” said museum director Kazuki Anzai.

It is a two-part exhibition, with the first part running through May and the second part from May to November. About half of the 120 exhibits will be replaced in the second part.

Advance reservations are required. Tickets are ¥1,000 for adults, ¥700 for junior high and high school students, ¥400 for elementary school students and ¥100 for children aged 4 and above.

For reservations, visit the museum’s website .