The Boy and the Heron: Behind the Scenes at the Ghibli Museum

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, is holding The Boy and the Heron Exhibition over three phases: "Imageboards," "Layouts," and "Background Arts." The exhibition features drawings made during the production process of Hayao Miyazaki's film The Boy and the Heron and offers visitors an opportunity to experience the richness of hand-drawn animation and the power of drawing itself.

The second phase, The Boy and the Heron Part 2: Layouts, is currently on view until November 10, 2024. On display are over 200 pieces of hand-drawn layouts, better known as the blueprints for animation.

The Boy and the Heron has approximately 1,250 cuts. It is a rare "hand-drawn" animated film in the sense that almost all the drawings were done with pencils on paper and backgrounds painted with poster paints. At the press conference, Studio Ghibli Managing Director Goro Miyazaki commented on the exhibition: "The layouts shown in this exhibition are just a small part of what we have created. I want visitors to see that drawing is not only fun but also hard work."

As digitalization takes over the production of animated films, it is becoming increasingly rare for a layout to be drawn entirely by hand. The perfection of the layouts, created by elite animators, including Hayao Miyazaki himself, could be hailed as the best of "hand-drawn" animation. Don't miss out on the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Studio Ghibli and its creation process. The exhibition runs until November 10, 2024.