It’s probably not a hard sell getting big names to sign on for a Hayao Miyazaki movie. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the legendary filmmaker’s Studio Ghibli legacy? No one is too famous for that. But even though we know that to be true, we’re still floored by the newly announced cast for the English-language dub of the iconic director’s upcoming The Boy and the Heron. It features some of Hollywood’s most popular and beloved stars, a list too impressive to pick only one or two to highlight. And in its first trailer for the english-language dub of The Boy and the Heron, this Miyzakai movie shows off its steller cast.
GKIDS, which handles North American distribution for Studio Ghibli recently announced the cast for the English dub of The Boy and the Heron (A film we here at Nerdist described as a “truly mesmerizing feat of animation.”) And now we can hear them in action. The list of voice performers—fittingly—speaks for itself. It includes: Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh. The full list of who plays who is below, but we especially cannot get over Robert Pattinson playing the gray heron.
The film will also feature Luca Padovan, as well as Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens as the Parakeets. Yeah, Dan Stevens is the last person they mentioned.
The Boy and the Heron‘s Famous Cast and Their Character Roles
Here is the breakdown of The Boy and the Heron‘s cast and the characters they play. See if you can hear their voices in the trailer for this Studio Ghibli movie’s English dub.
SHOICHI MAKI is played by Christian Bale
THE PARAKEET KING is played by Dave Bautista
NATSUKO is played by Gemma Chan
NOBLE PELICAN is played by Willem Dafoe
LADY HIMI is played by Karen Fukuhara
GRANDUNCLE is played by Mark Hamill
GRAY HERON is played by Robert Pattinson
KIRIKO is played by Florence Pugh
MAHITO MAKI is played by Luca Padovan
THE PARAKEETS are played by Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens
More About The Boy and the Heron
If you’re unfamiliar with the movie, which debuted at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, here’s its official synopsis:
A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Both the original Japanese and new English language versions will come to North American theaters on December 8. (Some special preview screenings will begin earlier on November 22.) Which version should you watch: the Japanese version or the English dub? Why choose when you have the perfect excuse to see a new Hayao Miyazaki movie twice? We doubt the biggest names in the industry would pass on that opportunity, either.
Originally published on October 17, 2023.