The filmmaker, who’s 82, isn’t doing promotion for the film, so he wasn’t on hand at the Princess of Wales Theater on Thursday to look out at the adoring crowd of film lovers, who cheered every time his name or that of Studio Ghibli, his creative home, was invoked. And while the applause that greeted the film was more appreciative than rapturous, the movie and its fantastical story of grief and growing up was warmly received.
Studios and A-list talent usually view Toronto as key stop on their awards season campaigns, but this Oscar race is unfolding in the shadow of two labor strikes that have left screenwriters and actors on the picket lines. That means that most stars aren’t making the trek to Canada this fall — with the exception of a few who have been granted waivers by the Screen Actors Guild to do publicity. That means fewer red carpets and a lighter presence from film journalists. But the crowds still showed up. King Street, which serves as the festival’s main hub, was thronged with locals and Viggo Mortensen, here with his directorial effort, “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” created a stir as he was glimpsed entering a neighborhood restaurant.
And while the festival would love to turn the page on COVID, which limited its 2020 iteration, rising rates of the virus meant that some audience members were masked. People flinched or shifted uncomfortably every time someone coughed or sneezed.
As for “The Boy and the Heron,” it unfolds during World War II, as a young boy, mourning his dead mother, struggles to adjust to life with father and his new wife, who also happens to be his aunt. There’s also an alternate universe, where he must battle fearsome parakeets and contend with a powerful wizard with whom he shares a bond.
Shortly before “The Boy and the Heron” began, Junichi Nishioka, an executive at Studio Ghibli, took the stage. “I hope this will be a wonderful two hours for everyone.”
