Los Angeles, Sep 8 (IANS): Japan's legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki wasn't at the Toronto Film Festival for the international premiere of his movie 'The Boy and the Heron', but three-time Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro was.

Del Toro surprised the crowd for the movie's gala presentation tonight and received rapturous applause at Roy Thomson Hall, reports Deadline.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey introduced del Toro as “Miyazaki’s most passionate fan.”

“He knows what makes my fat butt move!” quipped del Toro after Bailey asked him to introduce the film.

“This is the first audience to watch this movie outside of Japan,” beamed del Toro to great cheers.

“This is the world, god-damn premiere! Animation is film, and tonight’s film goes beyond that. Animation is hard,” said del Toro.

He further mentioned, quoted by Deadline, “We are privileged enough to be living in a time where Mozart is composing symphonies”, said del Toro. “Miyazaki san is a master of that stature, and we are so lucky to be here.” “He has changed the medium that he started in, revolutionised it, and proved over and over again that it is a tremendous work of art”.

He added, “Miyazaki, in my estimation, is the greatest director of animation ever, and he has made his films as full of dialogues and questions as he is. These are not easy films, but these are films that portray him so intimately, that you feel you’re having a conversation with him.”

It’s the first time that a Japanese title or an animated movie has opened the Toronto Film Festival. Del Toro is no stranger to animation, having directed the stop-motion Netflix feature ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’, directed, executive produced and written on the streamer’s ‘Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia’ series; and served as EP on DreamWorks Animation feature ‘Rise of the Guardians’.