The star-studded English voice cast for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron has been revealed.
As per Deadline, distributor Gkids announced Christian Bale voicing Shoichi Maki, Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Mark Hamill as Granduncle, Robert Pattinson as The Gray Heron and Florence Pugh as Kiriko. Joining the cast are Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki and Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori and Dan Stevens as the Parakeets.
The Boy and the Heron marks Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years and is “a semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship.” Set during World War II, the movie follows the story of Mahito, a young boy attempting to come to terms with the death of his mother. After relocating with his father, he discovers a world “shared by the living and the dead,” where “death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning.”
The Boy the Heron makes it US premiere on December 8.
In related news, Studio Ghibli unveiled a series of art and illustration books that include hundreds of Miyazaki’s hand-drawn storyboards for the film.
