North American distributor GKids has a storied history with the famous Japanese Animation Company Studio Ghibli, acquiring the rights from the Walt Disney Company in 2011. They have since provided phenomenal dubs for their films. Here are the actors and cast list for Ghibli’s latest, The Boy and the Heron.
The Boy and the Heron, released in 2023 and directed by animation legend and titan of the industry Hayo Miyazaki, received widespread critical acclaim since it was released in Japan with little to no marketing other than a single poster for the film. The movie would go on to win the Academy Award in 2024 for Best Animated Feature and is widely praised for its unconventional narrative and its talented voice cast, especially in the English dubbing of the film.
Considered the most personal and also the most abstract of all of Miyazaki’s films up to this point in time – an entire documentary has put on display the intense emotions the creator felt while making the movie – The Boy and the Heron had a lot of pressure in translating the complicated narrative and its character for English-speaking audiences to enjoy.
While Miyazaki was the director in terms of the animation and the Japanese voice actors, the English dubbing was directed by Michael Sinterniklaas, who previously did the voice direction for the English dub of Weathering With You along with co-director Stephanie Sheh. Funnily enough, Sheh also worked on the English dub of The Boy and the Heron, translating the script and dialogue into English.
Besides the translation process, there is also the incredibly talented cast that breathes new life into the film. Before GKids would acquire North American distribution rights, it was Pixar greats like John Lasseter and Pete Docter who handled the casting and direction of Ghibli classics like Howl’s Moving Castle, and a precedent had already been set for the level of talent that would join the projects.
Luca Padovan as Mahito Maki
Luca Padovan plays the lead role of Mahito, who is meant to be a stand-in for Miyazaki himself in certain aspects of the film’s narrative. Padovan expertly approaches the role with the same subtlety as his Japanese voice actor counterpart.
Padovan’s small list of credits includes Netflix’s You and Are You Afraid of the Dark? In 2023, he had a role in the surprising comedy hit No Hard Feelings alongside Jennifer Lawrence.
Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki
Christian Bale returns to Studio Ghibli’s world in his role as Shoichi Maki, Mahito’s father, who is an air munitions factory owner during World War II. The character is meant to be evocative of Miyazaki’s own father, who also owned a factory that manufactured rudders for fighter planes for the war.
Bale previously voiced the Wizard Howl in the 2005 film Howl’s Moving Castle. Compared to his much more involved role in that film, Bale’s character Shoichi isn’t given much to do and is a more comedic character this time around. Bale has gone on record stating his love and enthusiasm for Ghibli films and his willingness to join whatever project of theirs that comes his way.
Gemma Chan as Natsuko
Gemma Chan provides the English voice for Natsuko, the sister of Mahito’s recently deceased mother, who ends up marrying his father, Shoichi. Chan has had a busy career as of late, being most well known for her role in Crazy Rich Asians and recently joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its epic ensemble film The Eternals.
Robert Pattinson as The Grey Heron
In an almost unrecognizable vocal performance, Robert Pattinson is the English dubbed voice of the titular Grey Heron. Acting as a deceitful guide to Mahito in the realm beyond life and death, the Heron is implied to be a metaphorical stand-in for longtime Studio Ghibli Producer Toshio Suzuki. The documentary Miyazaki and The Heron on Max constantly edits clips of Suzuki with scenes featuring the Heron.
The rocky relationship (and ultimately friendship) between Mahito and the Heron reflects Miyazaki’s long working history with Suzuki, and Pattinson brings an electric level of eccentricity to his performance as the character. The English dub of the film is worth watching just for him alone. Pattinson is next set to star in Bong Joon-ho’s latest film, Mickey 17.
Mark Hamill as Grand Uncle
Mark Hamill is also (technically) another Studio Ghibli alumni, as he played a small role in what would technically become Miyazaki’s first film for Ghibli, Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, released in 1984. Hamill is a legendary voice actor himself, playing iconic roles such as The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and plenty of other Batman-related media, among dozens of other iconic roles.
Hamill plays an especially important role in The Boy and the Heron as Mahito’s Grand Uncle, who created the surreal world in which most of the movie occurs. Moreover, Grand Uncle is meant to represent the late Studio Ghibli co-founder and director of several films in the studio, Isao Takahata. Takahata passed away in 2014, and his legacy and deep creative relationship with Miyazaki are things the legendary animation master still ponders today, as evidenced by Hamill’s character in the movie.
Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi
The Boys star Karen Fukuhara voices Lady Himi, a younger version of Mahito’s mother in the English Dub for The Boy and the Heron. Fukuhara has had some minor voice roles, such as in the Netflix series Pokemon Concierge and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. As Lady Himi, Fukuhara’s English dubbing work gives the character a strong yet beautiful characterization.
Florence Pugh as Kiriko
Florence Pugh has had an impressive career in such a short period of time, working with a long list of esteemed directors like Ari Aster, Christopher Nolan, Park Chan-wook, and Denis Villeneuve. While her voice acting credits are limited to the role of Goldilocks in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Pugh provides the English voice for Kiriko, both the younger and older version of the character who appears in the film. Pugh’s granny voice is accentuated by her raspy voice, and the actor’s ability to give the young Kiriko an almost entirely different voice is impeccable.
Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican
Willem Dafoe has had a wide and varied career, which makes the actor’s role as the Noble Pelican in The Boy and the Heron an all-too-brief scene all the more perplexing. The Pelican is in only one scene and has a brief line of dialogue about death before passing on, but Dafoe’s signature raspy voice suits the character perfectly.
Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King
The wrestler-turned-actor is perhaps best known for his role in the Guardians of the Galaxy films and is given a minor role as The Parakeet King in The Boy and the Heron, the closest thing that comes to an antagonist in the film, and even that is a stretch. The character is the ruler of the Parakeets in the film and only serves the purpose of helping to undo the dream-like world so that Mahito can move on.
Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens as The Parakeets
When actors as impressive as Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens have as small of a role as that of Parakeets, it’s when you know that a film is prestigious. The Boy and the Heron have the usually prominent actors provide comedic bird noises for the giant Parakeets. Revolori has stated how it’s been his dream to be in a Ghibli film, taking on any role for the opportunity.
And those are all the English dub voice actors for The Boy and the Heron.
The above article was updated on 1/24/2025 by Ernest Valenzuela to additional information about the voice cast of The Boy and the Heron.