Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, which will be released in the U.S. on December 8, will have an all-star dub cast, says GKIDS, Studio Ghibli’s North American distributor.

Set in 1943 during the Pacific War, The Boy and the Heron is a semi-autobiographical tale about Mahito, a twelve-year-old boy living with an aunt in the countryside after his mother died in a firebombing. While exploring his new surroundings, the boy encounters a fantastical heron, who leads him into a mysterious world “shared by the living and the dead.”

Luca Padovan will voice the role of the titular boy, Mahito, and Robert Pattinson will dub the heron. The lineup also includes Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, Florence Pugh as Kiriko, Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King, Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Mark Hamill as Granduncle, and Gemma Chan as Natsuko. In addition, the English-language version will include the voices of Tony Revolori and Dan Stevens as two of the other Parakeets.

Of this array, Christian Bale is a veteran of Studio Ghibli, having dubbed the wizard character in one of Miyazaki’s earlier animes, Howl’s Moving Castle.

Miyazaki both wrote and directed the anime’s script and also created hand-drawn animations for the film, which was produced by Toshio Suzuki, the cofounder of Studio Ghibli.

The English-language version was scripted by Stephanie Sheh, and its music was composed by Joe Hisaishi.

The English version of The Boy and the Heron was finalized during the writers’ strike in line with SAG-AFTRA’s foreign dubbing protocols. GKIDS is an independent entity not connected with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

After select early previews on November 22, The Boy and the Heron will enjoy general release in the United States on December 8. The film, Miyazaki’s first in a decade, made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.



Check out more of Edward’s articles.