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The Boy and the Heron is the latest film in Studio Ghibli's longest list of greatest movies. It is also worth noting that the film marks the return of legendary director Hayao Miyazaki in more than a decade. The movie was released in Japan in July 2023 to a great reception and commercial success. This is one of the reasons is why there has been confirmation for an English dub version coming out in the West on December 8, 2023.
This alone was enough reason to have people stoked for this project but the confirmation of the cast of The Boy and the Heron has only increased the excitement. The English dub features a plethora of household names that have the fans excited. While people were expecting a high-level cast for a production of this ilk, some of the names involved in the project are also major Hollywood actors, much to fans' surprise.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Boy and the Heron.
The Boy and the Heron cast for the English dub has some very popular actors involved
There was already a lot of excitement in the West when it came to Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron film. This was due to the reputation the production house has and the return of director Hayao Miyazaki, who is a legend of the industry. However, the inclusion of several high-profile actors has added an extra level of expectation to a lot of people.
The film will have Christian Bale, the legendary actor in films like American Psycho, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Christopher's Batman trilogy, as Shoichi Maki. It is worth noting that the upcoming film is his second anime project and the second with Studio Ghibli (2004's Howl's Moving Castle as Howl).
Another big name starring in the film is Florence Pugh. She is known for her roles in Lady Macbeth, Black Widow, Little Women, Oppenheimer, and Don't Worry Darling. Pugh is set to voice the character of Kiriko in the upcoming dub.
Actor Robert Pattinson, who rose to fame for his roles in the Harry Potter and Twilight film series is set to voice the character of The Gray Heron in the upcoming film. It is worth noting that this is the first time that Pattinson and Pugh are voicing characters in the anime industry.
Legendary actor Willem Dafoe, of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Robert Eggers' Lighthouse fame, will voice the Noble Pelican. This is his second anime work since voicing Cob in the 2006 film Tales from Earthsea (another Studio Ghibli production).
Mark Hamill, known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, will be voicing Granduncle. He is also the most seasoned anime voice actor in the cast having voiced characters in IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, Castle in the Sky, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Gemma Chan will be voicing Natsuko while Dave Bautista will lend his voice to the character of The Parakeet King.
The premise and appeal of The Boy and the Heron
The Boy and the Heron, inspired by the 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino, How Do You Live?, is set in 1943, against the backdrop of the Pacific War. It follows Mahito Maki, the protagonist, whose mother is killed in the war. After his father remarries another woman and moves to the countryside, trying to fit in his new environment is something Mahito struggles with heavily.
The earlier parts of the film are focused on Mahito's grief with his mother's passing and trying to find connections in a place where he feels like a stranger. Eventually, he discovers a book that belonged to his mother with some cryptic messages.
He also meets the heron who tells him his mother is alive and that the young boy needs to rescue her. As he gets to know the heron a bit better, the latter takes Mahito to an alternate world.
This is a world filled with magic and with a lot of illusions, which is where Mahito's mother should be. Of course, he has to go through a lot of obstacles and challenges to achieve his goal. As tends to happen with Studio Ghibli productions, there is a lot of heart and sentiment involved in the destination, making it a wholesome and compelling story of a boy trying to save his mother.
Final thoughts
The Boy and the Heron is a celebration of animated movies and of MIyazaki's career. Needless to say, it is amazing to see so many high-profile names involved in a project of this caliber. Hopefully, they do justice to the source material and can capture the spirit of Mahito's story.
