Los Angeles, March 11 : Legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's last film 'The Boy and the Heron' has been feted with the Best Animated Feature Film at the ongoing 96th edition of the Academy Awards.

The film is inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino's 1937 novel 'How Do You Live?'. It tells the story of a young boy during the second world war, searching for his mother in a mysterious fantasy world.

Miyazaki is the most high-profile Japanese animator in the west, winning the Academy Award for 'Spirited Away' and receiving two Oscar nominations for 'Howl's Moving Castle' and 'The Wind Rises'.

The official X handle of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, congratulated the actress as they tweeted, "'The Boy and the Heron' secures the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film! Congratulations, Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki! #Oscars."

The 96th Academy Awards are currently underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

The Indian audience can stream the award show on Disney+ Hotstar.

/IANS