The full English voice cast for Hayao Miyazaki’s new film “The Boy and the Heron” has been revealed ahead of distributor GKIDS’ U.S. release of the film.
The main cast includes Christian Bale as 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.
It marks the return of numerous actors who have worked on prior Studio Ghibli films including Bale on “Howl’s Moving Castle,” Hamill on “Castle in the Sky” and “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, and Dafoe on “Tales from Earthsea”.
The film was famously released in Japan with a single poster being the only promotional material of the film issued prior to release.
The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Mahito Maki (Santoki) who is moved to a countryside town with his father and aunt, a place where he doesn’t fit in.
He soon discovers a mysterious abandoned tower in the woods nearby and, with the help of a talking grey heron, enters a fantastical alternate world of magic.
“The Boy and the Heron” will score a December 8th North American release in cinemas nationwide and on IMAX.
Source: GKIDS
