Fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron are looking for similar movies to watch after having seen that film. Here are some good picks to explore next.
List of movies similar to The Boy and the Heron
Your Name (2016)
Viewers of The Boy and the Heron will enjoy Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name as it has a magical and spiritual story like The Boy and the Heron, but it also has a unique premise and is set in one reality. In the film, a boy and a girl living in different parts of Japan end up switching bodies and through this experience, they learn more about the world and themselves. If you end up enjoying this film then you should watch Shinkai’s other films Weathering With You and Suzume as they both tackle many of the themes present in Your Name.
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
My Neighbour Totoro is another great film that’s similar to The Boy and the Heron. Not only is it a Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki movie like The Boy and the Heron, but it is also a magical and otherworldly story that follows two sisters as they befriend a magical creature named Totoro and explore its world.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Another Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki film, Howl’s Moving Castle also tackles similar themes explored in The Boy and the Heron. The story follows a young girl who transforms into an elderly woman and then spends the remainder of the story trying to revert to her young self.
The Tunnel to Summer, The Exit to Goodbyes (2023)
A recent anime release, this film revolves around two high schoolers with big personal life problems who meet one day and soon happen upon a tunnel that seemingly gives them their desires. However, it also threatens to break their closeness by giving them answers they desperately seek within themselves.
What to watch after The Boy and the Heron?
You should watch My Neighbour Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle after having seen The Boy and the Heron as these two films not only have magical and otherworldly plots but also dive deep into themes explored in The Boy and the Heron.
In entertainment elsewhere, here is ComingSoon’s interview with Scott Pilgrim Take Off’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ellen Wong. Also, here are the funniest scenes in Naked Gun.
