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The Boy and the Heron becomes first anime to reach the BAFTA shortlist • Anime UK News

Published

3 months ago

January 18, 2024

Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film The Boy and the Heron has become the first anime of any kind to have reached the BAFTA shortlist.

The Studio Ghibli release is nominated in the “Animated Film” category of this year’s BAFTA Film Awards. While Miyazaki’s Spirited Away won an Oscar back in 2003, this is the first time that any anime has reached even this far, with none ever having reached the shortlist until now in either the film or TV ceremonies.

Also in the running for the award are the UK’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget by Aardman, Disney/Pixar’s Elemental and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The winner will be announced as part of the BAFTA ceremony on 18th February, hosted by David Tennant, which will be broadcast on BBC One.

Ian works as an anime and manga critic for Anime UK News, and was also the manga critic for MyM Magazine. His debut book, CLAMPdown, about the manga collective CLAMP, is available now. Outside of anime, he is data specialist for the British Comedy Guide, is QI’s most pedantic viewer, has written questions for both The Wall and Richard Osman’s House of Games, and has been a contestant on Mastermind.