The Boy and the Heron
In the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy ventures into a dreamlike world shared by the living and the dead in search of his missing stepmother.
Despite a moderate budget of $50.0M, The Boy and the Heron became a box office success, earning $294.2M worldwide—a 488% return.
1 Oscar. 34 wins & 87 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Boy and the Heron (2023) exhibits precise plot construction, characteristic of Hayao Miyazaki's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 5 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 4.5, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mahito runs through burning streets during WWII air raid, desperately searching for his hospitalized mother in the flames. His world is defined by loss and chaos.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when The Grey Heron appears to Mahito, claiming "Your mother is alive" and beckoning him toward the forbidden tower. This supernatural intrusion disrupts his mourning stasis.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 23% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to When Natsuko vanishes into the tower, Mahito makes the active choice to enter the supernatural realm to find her, despite warnings. He crosses into the otherworld., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mahito realizes he cannot save his mother or change the past. Young Himi must return to her timeline to give birth to him and die in the fire. He must choose between eternal fantasy and mortal grief., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. The tower world collapses. Mahito escorts young Himi back to her timeline, says goodbye to Kiriko, and guides Natsuko out. The Heron returns him to the real world as the supernatural realm crumbles. His great-granduncle accepts the end of his creation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Boy and the Heron's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Boy and the Heron against these established plot points, we can identify how Hayao Miyazaki utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Boy and the Heron within the animation genre.
Hayao Miyazaki's Structural Approach
Among the 13 Hayao Miyazaki films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.6, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. The Boy and the Heron takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Hayao Miyazaki filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie and Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. Presage Flower. For more Hayao Miyazaki analyses, see Kiki's Delivery Service, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mahito runs through burning streets during WWII air raid, desperately searching for his hospitalized mother in the flames. His world is defined by loss and chaos.
Theme
Mahito's father tells him "We must live" after his mother's death - establishing the film's core question about choosing life and creation over despair and destruction.
Worldbuilding
Mahito and his father relocate to countryside estate where his mother grew up. He meets pregnant stepmother Natsuko (his mother's sister), strange servants, and discovers the mysterious tower. He isolates himself, grieving and resistant to his new life.
Disruption
The Grey Heron appears to Mahito, claiming "Your mother is alive" and beckoning him toward the forbidden tower. This supernatural intrusion disrupts his mourning stasis.
Resistance
Mahito resists the Heron's call, even injuring himself with a rock to avoid school. He debates entering the tower's world. The old servant woman Kiriko tells him stories about his great-granduncle who disappeared into the tower.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
When Natsuko vanishes into the tower, Mahito makes the active choice to enter the supernatural realm to find her, despite warnings. He crosses into the otherworld.
Premise
Mahito explores the fantastical realm: flying creatures, pelicans devouring souls, magical islands, and strange physics. He searches for Natsuko while learning the rules of this world governed by his great-granduncle.
Opposition
The tower world begins destabilizing. Mahito learns his great-granduncle built this realm using magical stones but needs a pure-hearted successor. The Parakeet King challenges the order. Mahito faces the temptation to stay in fantasy rather than return to painful reality.
Collapse
Mahito realizes he cannot save his mother or change the past. Young Himi must return to her timeline to give birth to him and die in the fire. He must choose between eternal fantasy and mortal grief.
Crisis
Mahito processes the dark truth: to live means accepting loss. His great-granduncle offers him control of the tower world - the ultimate escape from pain - but Mahito sees the malice in his own heart.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The tower world collapses. Mahito escorts young Himi back to her timeline, says goodbye to Kiriko, and guides Natsuko out. The Heron returns him to the real world as the supernatural realm crumbles. His great-granduncle accepts the end of his creation.