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Another intricately crafted piece of work fromStudio Ghiblicomes in the form of The Boy and the Heron. Directed by the visionary Hayao Miyazaki, the film follows the young Mahito Maki as he is led by a Grey Heron into a magical world to search for his mother.
As we know, Miyazaki loves to weave in adorable little creatures into the various worlds he creates. In Princess Mononoke, the Kodama forest spirits pop up with their bobbling heads. Susuwatari, or soot sprites, are seen in My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. And in The Boy and The Heron, we get to see the cute Warawara on their journey to life.
The Warawara, Explained
TheWarawaraaresmall, white, blob-like spirit creaturesthat show up in one of the magical in-between worlds in The Boy and The Heron. They live on a small island in the middle of the sea, resting in the trees there.
After Mahito is led into a strange tower by the Grey Heron in search of his mother and his aunt Natsuko, he finds himself transported to a magical world where boundaries are thin, andthe line between the living and dead is even thinner.
Interpretations can be made about whether the magical world is “real” in The Boy and the Heron. If we view it as an actual other world somewhere out there, thenthe Warawara are spirits that eventually get to be born as humans in the real worldonce they are ready.
Slight spoilers for the plot of The Boy and The Heron below.
A youngerKiriko, one of the attendants to the house in the real world, rescuesMahitoat one point, leading him to tag along with her back to her island hideout. On the way, the duo catch a fish, and also bring it back to Kiriko’s place.
Cute creatures begin to pop up and spill out to feast on the fish: the Warawara. At once evoking thoughts ofmarshmallows or bubbles or round pillows, the Warawara stumble to their dinner.Kiriko takes care of the Warawara, helping them mature.
Once the Warawara mature enough, they are ready to be born.They inflate themselves so they can float, then ascend up into the skies, spiraling around in a double helix fashion. Most likely, they continue ascending untilthey cross some metaphysical boundary into the “real” world, ready to ensoul newborn children.
Unfortunately, the Warawara can fall victim to a new predator in the magical world.Pelicans may try to snatch up the Warawara, as they are one of the few food sources around. The spirits that get eaten become poor souls that don’t get a chance to be born.
Grand Uncle’s magical world has been falling out of balanceas malice creeps through all ends of the magical world. It’s possible that this situation is what has caused the Warawara to all of a sudden not be able to go through their natural “life” cycle without being attacked.
Other Spirits In The Magical World
During Mahito’s adventure in The Boy and the Heron, he encounters other kinds of creatures and spirits. From the anthropomorphized parakeets to the Grey Heron himself, there are certainly strange sights within Grand Uncle’s magical world.
The sea world that the Warawara live in is probablythe most underworld-like of the worlds that we see. Especially so sinceMahito accidentally opens a gate that apparently keeps the dead where they belong, although we don’t see those spirits.
There are alsoshadowy people riding around in boats and ferriesacross the sea world. They are drawn to Kiriko’s island at times because of the size of the fish she can catch, wanting food for themselves, or to trade in some way.
Thepelicans seem to be another form of spirit, as revealed in a conversation Mahito has with a dying pelican. The pelicans did not willingly come to the spirit world, and simply must do what they can to eat, even if it means preying on the Warawara.
With the lines between the living and the dead blurred, who’s to say there aren’t even more spirits swimming around in the other world that Grand Uncle created? Either way, the Warawara spirits are sure to bea much-loved (and well-merchandised) addition to the Studio Ghibli canon.
