If anyone has ever said that animation isn’t an art form, they’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki film. Beloved by fans and critics alike, his films take viewers on journeys through strange lands populated with unusual characters and they always have an emotional core that connects to the audience.

And you know you’re watching it with the right audience when the theatre erupts in applause when the blue Studio Ghibli production card opens the film.

Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece had its International Premiere at this year’s TIFF, and has already floored and enchanted viewers already. Set in Japan during the events of World War II, we are introduced to young Mahito (Soma Santoki). He’s haunted by the death of his mother when she died during a fire in the hospital where she worked.

His father, Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) moves the pair to the countryside where Shoichi seems to have begun a new relationship with his dead wife’s younger sister, Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) and is expecting in the near future.

This is strenuous for young Mahito who commits minor thefts around the house as well as injuring himself to stay home from school. This gives the young boy a chance to investigate the grounds of his new home, a strange tower on its land, and an increasingly creepy Grey Heron (Masaki Suda) that shocks him when it speaks and tells him it can take Mahito to his mother.

So begins a quest that will change Mahito and the audience that goes along with him on the journey. Filled with striking characters, beautiful art, emotional depth delightful moments and a gorgeous score by Joe Hisaishi.

The film offers contemplative thoughts on life, death, love, the interconnectedness of relationships and the world around us and it does it with absolutely stunning animation. A beautiful story that is as introspective as it is a phantasmagorical adventure The Boy and the Heron is a film that is going to endure, create conversations and cement Miyazaki’s reputation even further.

This is animation. This is art. This is cinema.

The Boy and the Heron screens four more times at the Festival, Saturday 9 September at Roy Thomson Hall, Sunday 10 September and Friday 15 September at Scotiabank Theatre, and Saturday 16 September at the Lightbox. Check out schedules, tickets and other titles here.