Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron Drops English Dub Cast
The Boy and the Heron has announced the English dub voice cast, which includes Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, and Robert Pattinson.
Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron has unveiled the star-studded English dub casting list.
GKIDS has announced the voice actors for the English dub of The Boy and the Heron and revealed a new key visual. Luca Padovan (You) portrays Mahito Maki. Christian Bale (The Dark Night) will voice protagonist Shoichi Maki. Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) voices The Parakeet King. Gemma Chan (Raya and the Last Dragon) voices Natsuko. Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) will portray the Noble Pelican. Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad) voices Lady Himi. Mark Hamill (Star Wars) will voice Granduncle. Robert Pattinson (The Batman) voices the Gray Heron. Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer) will portray Kiriko. The parakeets will be voiced by Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revelori, and Dan Stevens.
Among the cast, Bale, Dafoe, Hamill, and Stevens have experience working on a Studio Ghibli film. Bale portrayed Howl in the 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle. Dafoe has voiced Cob in the 2006 film Tales from Earthsea. Hamill worked on two Studio Ghibli films as Colonel Muska in Castle in the Sky and the Mayor of Pejite in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Hamill has also notably voiced Fire Lord Ozai in the 2005 animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Stevens voiced Thomas in the 2021 film Earwig and the Witch.
For the Japanese cast, Soma Santoki voices Mahito Maki. Masaki Suda voices the Gray Heron; Kou Shibasak as Kiriko; Aimyon as Lady Himi; Yoshino Kimura as Natsuko; Takuya Kimura as Shoichi Maki. Keiko Takeshita voices Izumi; Jun Fubuki as Utako; Sawako Agawa as Eriko; Karen Takizawa as Warawara; Shinobu Ōtake as Aiko; Jun Kunimura as the Parakeet King; Kaoru Kobayashi as the Noble Pelican; and Shohei Hino as the Granduncle. Miyazaki directed and wrote the script with Takeshi Honda (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) as the animation director. Joe Hisaishi, who composed scores for numerous Ghibli films including Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, will return as the composer. Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man) performs the theme song “Chikyūgi” which translates to “Globe.” The Boy and the Heron marks Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years.
Originally titled How Do You Live? for release in Japan, took its title from a book written initially by Yūzō Yamamoto and completed by Genzaburo Yoshino, and published in 1937 by Shinchosa. Told through letters, journey entries and memories, the story follows 15-year-old Junichi Honda, known as Koperu, who learns about friendships, relationships, and the way of the world. Miyazaki’s film, however, is very different from the book.
Set in the aftermath of the fire bombings, The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito Maki who lives with his father in the countryside with Mahito’s pregnant aunt. Still reeling from the grief of losing his mother, Mahito’s world opens and changes when he encounters a heron and other mysterious beings.
Despite the notoriety of The Boy and the Heron coming from the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, the film opted to not release any trailer nor any other preview images other than the teaser image of a monstrous-looking heron. The first teaser trailer released on Sept. 6. Although The Boy and the Heron was reportedly supposed to be Miyazaki’s final film, the director has since returned to the studio, brimming with ideas for future projects.
The Boy and the Heron also notably became the first animated film to open at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film has earned a cumulative total of over 8 billion yen, marking it as the 75th highest-grossing film in Japan.
The Boy and the Heron premieres in the USA and Canada and in IMAX on Dec. 8.
Source: GKids
