Liz and the Blue Bird

Mizore Yoroizuka is a quiet, reserved oboe player, while her close friend Nozomi Kasaki is outgoing and plays flute. Both belong to the brass band at Kitauji High School, and their band has chosen a piece inspired by the fairy tale of Liz and the Blue Bird, in which a girl and a bird must eventually part. As rehearsals continue, the story mirrors their own friendship, and Mizore begins to face what graduation will mean for the two of them.

The film is a spin-off of the Hibike! Euphonium series, directed by Naoko Yamada from a screenplay by Reiko Yoshida. It followed A Silent Voice: The Movie, Yamada's previous feature, and came before The Colors Within. Atsumi Tanezaki and Nao Toyama voice the two leads, with Ayaka Asai, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Chika Anzai and Yuichi Nakamura among the supporting cast. Kyoto Animation produced it with Lantis, Pony Canyon and Bandai Namco Arts.

Released in April 2018, Liz and the Blue Bird runs 91 minutes. It holds a 7.2 rating on IMDb from around 3,000 votes and a 7.5 on TMDB from 164 votes, showing a modest but consistent response across both platforms.