The Boy and the Heron, the final film from Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, will serve as the opening movie at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
It's the first time a Japanese film and an animated film will open TIFF. It will also be the film's international debut outside of Japan.
The official TIFF Twitter account confirmed the film's international premiere earlier today.
The film was released in Japan on July 14 and has grossed $13.2 million since, marking the biggest opening in Studio Ghibli's history. Howl's Moving Castle previously held the record with approximately $10 million in its debut.
As well, critics who had the chance to view the movie in Japan had positive things to say about it.
Studio Ghibli also posted the news to its Twitter account and specified that the international premiere of The Boy and the Heron would be the "first time a Japanese film and an animated film has opened TIFF."
American distributor Gkids acquired the North American rights to The Boy and the Heron and claimed it would release here before the end of 2023.
