Home » Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron English Dub Cast | A-List Stars’ Characters Revealed

Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron English Dub Cast | A-List Stars’ Characters Revealed

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Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron English Dub Cast | A-List Stars’ Characters Revealed

The Boy and the Heron came out as a top-secret movie when it hit the Japanese theaters in April 2023. But as Hayao Miyazaki’s so-called last feature film is about to be released in the U.S., several promotions have been made here and there. And the latest, its international distributor, GKIDS, has revealed its all-star English dub cast, which includes several fan-favorite A-list stars.

The Boy and the Heron English Dub Cast

Originally titled How Do You Live in Japan, the animated movie is renamed The Boy and the Heron for its international release. Breaking from its non-promotion Japanese release, GKIDS, and Studio Ghibli have dropped several updates about the film, from preview stills to the trailer and its English cast.

Led by Christian Bale, the movie will also feature the voices of Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, and Karen Fukuhara. It includes Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, and the iconic Star Wars star Mark Hamill. Additional cast members are Luca Padovan, Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens.

According to The Wrap, GKIDS handles the English casting and the film’s international version production while working closely with Studio Ghibli. Michael Sinterniklaas takes the ADR direction at NYAV Post, while Stephanie Sheh adapts the English script. The English language dub, in addition, was made following the SAG-AFTRA Foreign Dubbing Agreement.

The Boy and the Heron A-List Stars’ Characters Revealed

Studio Ghibli fans know Bale has already voiced the powerful wizard Howl Jenkins Pendragon in Howl’s Moving Castle. Now, he’s back as Shoichi Maki, one of The Boy and the Heron’s protagonists and the father of the lead, Mahito Maki, whose voice actor is yet to be revealed.

Bautista plays The Parakeet King, while Chan lends her voice to Natsuko, the second wife of Shoichi. In addition, the Spider-Man star Dafoe will be the voice of the Old Pelican, along with Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Hamill as Granduncle, Pattinson as The Gray Heron, and Pugh as Kiriko.

Details about these characters remain scarce, but more will be known when The Boy and the Heron is finally released.

The Boy and the Heron All-Star Cast Explained

Studio Ghibli has been known for bringing some of the highest-quality animated movies to the big screen. The Japanese animation studio has already made a solid and influential presence in the industry. Alternatively, one of its founders, Miyazaki, is one of today’s most renowned animators, filmmakers, and manga artists.

With his great work, success, and fame, he has even conquered the international animation scene, dubbed a “masterful storyteller and creator” of Japanese animated feature movies. He’s even widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in animation history.

And as The Boy and the Heron is said to be his final film, as he’s once again planning to go on retirement, this film only deserves the best, so giving it an all-star English dub cast is just a tiny move to honor his greatness. By the looks of it, this one will be another masterpiece from Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki himself.

What is The Boy and the Heron about?

The Boy and the Heron follows the story of a young boy named Mahito, who longs for a mother’s love after her passing while his father marries anew. He then sets to venture into a new world where the living and the dead exist.

Here, “life finds a new beginning,” a movie dubbed a “semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”

The Boy and the Heron will be released on December 8. This one is expected to touch the viewers’ hearts once again.

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