Anime legend Hayao Miyazaki is set to make his return to the big screen with The Boy and the Heron, which will be his first film in a decade. This eagerly awaited film will be available in an original Japanese version and a dubbed one. Ahead of its official release later this year, the movie has already made history by being the first animated film to open the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. To add more excitement, Studio Ghibli recently unveiled the star-studded English voice cast, featuring Hollywood A-listers such as Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.
GKIDS, the distributor of Miyazaki’s film, shared the full cast details and it includes Luca Padovan, lending his voice to the young boy Mahito Maki, while Bale takes on the role of Shoichi Maki, Mahito’s father. Gemma Chan voices Mahito’s aunt Natsuko and Dave Bautista brings the Parakeet King to life. Karen Fukuhara becomes Lady Himi, with Mark Hamill portraying Granduncle. The film also features Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Pattinson as the Gray Heron and Pugh as Kiriko. Dan Stevens, Tony Revolori, and Mamoudou Athie join the cast as the Parakeets.
As per EW, the studio decided to dub the film due to SAG-AFTRA’s Foreign Dubbing Agreement. This agreement is currently not affected by any strike from the Hollywood actors’ union.
The Boy and the Heron was initially believed to be Hayao Miyazaki’s final film. However, reports suggest that the filmmaker is already working on another project. This upcoming film centres around a young boy who is dealing with the loss of his mother. Inspired by one of Miyazaki’s favourite books, How Do You Live? the film draws inspiration from the book but is not a direct adaptation.
As per GKIDS’ website, the upcoming Studio Ghibli film has been entirely hand-drawn, by the Academy Award-winning director himself. The film is not only directed by him but he has also written the story. Interestingly, the musical score is masterfully composed by Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator, Joe Hisaishi and for the theme song, Spinning Globe, the filmmaker partnered with J-pop sensation Kenshi Yonezu.
Meanwhile, the film was also shown at events like the San Sebastian International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival. Initial reactions from festival attendees and critics have been overwhelmingly positive.
Meanwhile, audiences can look forward to the special previews of The Boy and the Heron on November 22. Following this, both the Japanese and English versions will hit theatres on December 8.
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