‘The Boy and the Heron’: How to Watch the Oscar Winner on Max

Next time you’re browsing Max’s collection of Studio Ghibli films, you might spot a new Oscar-winning title.

Hayao Miyazaki’s 2023 fantasy adventure The Boy and the Heron will begin U.S. release on Friday, joining the animation studio’s existing films My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and others. The film, which won the Oscar for best animated feature earlier this year, is a semi-autobiographical tale “about life, death and creation,” according to distributor GKIDS. It centers on a young boy, Mahito, who follows a gray heron to another world after losing his mother.

Miyazaki wrote and directed The Boy and The Heron, his first feature film in 10 years. He also came out of retirement to direct the film. An English-dubbed version featuring the voices of Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh and others will hit Max on Friday, according to a press release. CNET has reached out to the streaming service to confirm whether a Japanese-language version will also be available.

When to watch “The Boy and the Heron” on Max

Viewers in the US will be able to watch the Oscar winner on Max on the channel Friday, September 6. Max typically releases new titles at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (3:01 a.m. Eastern Time), and CNET has confirmed that The Boy and the Heron will be available at that time.

Netflix plans to release “The Boy and the Heron” outside of the U.S. and Japan at a yet-to-be-announced date.

Max costs $10, $17, or $21 per month after the streamer raised its ad-free prices in June. You can also look for other ways to get the service. For example, Max With Ads is free for Cricket Wireless customers as part of its $60-per-month unlimited plan. You can choose a bundle of Max, Hulu, and Disney Plus, a student discount, or an annual DashPass plan that includes the ad-free version at no extra cost.

If you don’t want to subscribe, The Boy and the Heron is available for $20 at Amazon and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu).

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Max also offers an annual price for all of its tiers. You can save some money by paying for 12 individual months, but you’ll have to pay a larger amount up front. To learn more about the streamer, check out our review.

How to watch The Boy and the Heron with a VPN

Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Max away from home. With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet, or laptop so you can access the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming, too.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and want to add an extra layer of privacy to your devices and logins when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Streaming TV can be a little smoother with a reliable, high-quality VPN that’s passed our tests and meets our security standards.

You can legally use a VPN to stream content as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content from illegal torrenting sites. We recommend ExpressVPN , but you can choose another provider from our top picks, like Surfshark or NordVPN .

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If you’re looking for a safe and reliable VPN, our Editors’ Choice is ExpressVPN. It’s fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It costs $13 per month, or you can opt for a deal that gives you 15 months for $6.67 per month if you pay the full amount up front.

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our ExpressVPN review.

Follow your VPN provider’s installation instructions and select the country where The Boy and the Heron will be streaming on Max. Before opening the streaming app, make sure you’re connected to your VPN using your chosen region. If you want to stream The Boy and the Heron on more than one device, you may need to configure each one to make sure you’re logged in. Go to your settings and check your network connections to make sure you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. You can now open Max to stream.

If you encounter streaming issues, first make sure your VPN is up and running on an encrypted IP address. Double-check that you followed the installation instructions correctly and selected the correct geographic area to watch in. If you’re still having connection issues, you may need to restart your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device, and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services restrict access to VPNs.