From classics like My Neighbor Totoro to award-winners like Spirited Away, the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and his fellow animators at Studio Ghibli have cemented a legacy in cinema history unlike any other. Some people view animated movies as lesser and “just for kids.” This is an unfortunately common sentiment, as every time I see an animated movie in the theater, it’s almost exclusively parents with their young children. Thankfully, Studio Ghibli stands above that.

When I saw Miyazaki’s grand return to film in The Boy and the Heron, whose last film was 2013’s The Wind Rises, I walked into the theater to see something I hadn’t seen in who knows how long. Children, parents, grandparents, couples, groups of friends and solo viewers like myself lined the packed rows. People of every demographic got up on a Sunday morning to go and see a Japanese hand-drawn animated movie that had next to no advertising. This just goes to show the kind of power Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli has. While other studios make animated movies for kids, they make animated movies for everyone.

Of everyone in that crowd, I was most drawn towards the old man and his two grandkids sitting next to me. Seeing a Ghibli movie after so long reminded me of watching them as a kid, and seeing these kids experience possibly their first Ghibli movie filled me with a sort of optimism that today’s kids and tomorrow’s kids will still have good animated movies. I saw a little of myself in their grandfather as well. As a film major, I’ve learned a lot about filmmaking and can watch a movie from a (slightly) more objective viewpoint, similar to how this old man has lived a long life and can look at situations with those many years of experience behind him. I know I sound like an English teacher right now and that sometimes the curtains are blue just because the author likes blue, but these are the kinds of things an aspiring filmmaker thinks about when experiencing something from an artist like Miyazaki.

So what did I think of the actual movie? It was pretty good. As usual for a Ghibli film, it’s about a young protagonist delving into a fantastical world of magic and wonder. One gripe I had with this film is that it doesn’t really explore its world as much as it should. In movies like My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo, it’s okay to leave some mystery about the rules of the world because it’s more about the magical characters in the real world. The Boy and the Heron is more like Spirited Away where the main character goes into the magical world. The unfortunate difference is that Spirited Away takes the time to live in this world and lets the protagonist and audience learn the rules and experience what it has to offer, while The Boy and the Heron does not.

This movie doesn’t completely drop the ball, as the voice cast is spectacular. There are a few returning Ghibli collaborators, like Christian Bale from Howl’s Moving Castle and Mark Hamill from Castle in the Sky, but the newcomers have more than earned their spots. Florence Pugh did a great job proving she can voice act, but the real star of the show is Robert Pattinson (yes, there are two Batmen in this film) as the Grey Heron. Had they not announced it was him, I don’t think anyone would know; Pattinson completely disappears into the role and once again cements himself as a world-class actor who can handle anything you throw at him.

The plot is nothing to write home about. Our protagonist Mahito goes into this other world in search of his stepmother. Unfortunately, Mahito, his stepmother and their relationship is so underdeveloped that it’s hard to feel connected to any of it. The side characters are fun, like the old ladies who help around the house and the Grey Heron, but ultimately the only reason to watch this movie is for the absolutely stunning animation. It’s hard to judge a film when the people who made it have set the bar so high in the past. Maybe the film is better than I thought and I should have lowered my expectations. Who knows?

In an era of live-action movies with rushed CGI and animated movies that are so desperately trying to replicate the Spider-Verse films, it’s nice to just sit back and watch a well-made and personal film. It’s not trying to set up a franchise with a million sequels and spin-offs. It’s not trying to milk your nostalgia for all that it has. This is just an artist trying to tell you a story, which is all one can really hope for. I give The Boy and the Heron a 7/10. It’s playing in theaters now.