Studio Ghibli's director Hayao Miyazaki's animated feature film "The Boy and the Heron", which won the 96th Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, will be broadcast on Friday Road Show (NTV, Friday 9pm) on May 2nd. Prior to the broadcast, it has been revealed that a special Studio Ghibli program will be broadcast on the same network from 8:02pm on the same day.
The film attracted attention for its voice actors, including actor Yamato Satoshi as the main character, as well as Suda Masaki, Shibasaki Kou, Aimyon, Kimura Yoshino, Takuya Kimura, Takeshita Keiko, Jun Fubuki Jun, Agawa Sawako, Takizawa Karen, Kunimura Jun, Kobayashi Kaoru, and Hino Shohei. The special will feature interviews with the star-studded cast and introduce memorable scenes from Studio Ghibli films. Behind-the-scenes stories from the recording studio will also be revealed, including the difficulties Suda faced in recording Blue Heron and Heron Man.
Titled "Ghibli Food Special," the program will introduce memorable foods that appear in Studio Ghibli films. It will also look at the special exhibition "Drawing Eating: Revised and Expanded Edition," currently being held at the Ghibli Warehouse in Ghibli Park (Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture), and will unravel the attention to detail that has gone into making food look delicious in Studio Ghibli films. The jam buns made by Himi, which appear in "The Boy and the Heron", will also be introduced. There will also be a "Ghibli Creatures Special," which will focus on creatures from Studio Ghibli films. It will delve deeper into the appeal of creatures such as fox squirrels, Totoro, and the Cat Bus.
On the day of the broadcast, May 2nd, the morning information program "ZIP!" (Monday to Friday at 5:50 am) will air a Studio Ghibli special called "ZIP!'s Ghibli." Parts of the interviews the program conducted regarding "The Boy and the Heron?" with producer Toshio Suzuki, theme song "Chikyuugi" (Globe) by Kenshi Yonezu, art director Yoji Takeshige, and others will be shown.
"The Boy and the Heron" is Miyazaki's latest feature-length animated film, his first in about 10 years since "The Wind Rises" in 2013. Miyazaki wrote the original story and screenplay. The film was released on July 14, 2023, without the plot, cast, theme song, etc. being revealed in advance.
