The Boy and the Heron (Hayao Miyazaki, 2023)

Cast (voices): Soma Santoki/Luca Padovan, Masaki Suda/Robert Pattinson, Aimyon/Karen Fukuhara, Yoshino Kimura/Gemma Chan, Takuya Kimura/Christian Bale, Shohei Hino/Mark Hamill, Ko Shibasaki/Florence Pugh, Kaoru Kobayashi/Willem Dafoe, Jun Kinamura/Dave Bautista. Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki. Cinematography: Atsushi Okui. Art direction: Yoji Takeshige. Film editing: Rie Matsubara, Takeshi Seyama, Akane Shiraishi. Music: Joe Hisaishi. 

As usual, Hayao Miyashi plunges us from the real world, in this case Japan in the midst of World War II, into other realms with mysterious towers, wizards and pyrokinetic maidens, malevolent pelicans and parakeets, and all manner of perils from which his young protagonist must escape with the help and sometimes the hindrance of a strange heron who somehow has fused with a grotesque humanoid creature. Does it make sense? No. Does that matter in the least? Not at all.