I'm going to say this very early just to get it out of the way: I was dissapointed with this film. Not because it was bad, but because my expectations were just too high. That being said, this is still a wonderfully done film. The animation and visual quality is perhaps the best we've ever seen from Studio Ghibli, especially that beautiful intro sequence. The stillness of the beginning of the film contrasts beautifully with the magical scenes and vistas that you see later on. In fact, this movie is at the extreme in many facets when it comes to Miyazaki works. The voice acting is possibly at its best with Bale giving a wonderful performance (yes I watched the dub, as all English speakers should with Ghibli films). The setting and worldbuilding is incredibly rich and varied, the wildest its ever been. And the characters are all very likeable and a joy to watch. However, this movie isn't perfect in my opinion, as most movies aren't. The story is very hard to follow sometimes. Moment to moment, it's clear and simple. However, there often is a lack of connectivity between sequences that makes the film feel a lot like a dream at parts. I've seen this criticism elsewhere, and I don't feel like this necessarily is a bad thing. The movie has a great beginning and great ending, and the moments in the middle are at all times cute, visually entertaining, and majestic. However, it's hard to be invested in the hero's journey when you have no idea where they are, where they've been, and where they're going next. It often feels like the characters are moving forward without actually communicating where or why. Like many other aspects of the film, the story is perhaps the most confusing it has ever been in a Ghibli film, even more than Spirited Away somehow. Also, for a movie which has "Heron" in the title, I felt like the Heron had a smaller role in the film than I expected. He seemed more like a sidekick than a real character, we never really learn anything about him, and I'm still confused on his motives even after thinking about the film for hours. Moving on, I think the message of the film, that of acceptance and willingness to persevere, is beautifully done and communicated through its ending. This is certainly a fun film to watch, but with a more eloquent story (especially in the middle), this could have been a masterpiece. I still highly recommend it.