The Boy And The Heron: Director Hayao Miyazaki Debuts English Cast Ft. Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Willem Dafoe For Oscar-Winning Movie

The Boy and The Heron anime movie is set to debut on Indian screens very soon. Ahead of the premiere, director Hayao Miyazaki talks about bringing together ensemble cast for its English dub. Read on.

By Anushka Solanki

Updated on May 03, 2024 | 05:36 PM IST | 104K

The Boy and the Heron Movie [Image Credit- Studio Ghibli]

In this Article

The Boy and The Heron movie reveals the English dub cast
Director Hayao Miyazaki on choosing the cast
More about The Boy and The Heron

Warner Bros. Pictures is all set to release the highly anticipated masterpiece The Boy And The Heron by the Academy Award-winning director, Hayao Miyazaki, pan India on May 10, 2024. The film follows the magical journey of teenager Mahito in a completely new world. Experiencing the pain of losing his mother and having complicated relationships with his family and classmates, Mahito gradually isolated himself, until he met a strange talking heron. Mahito and the heron entered a mysterious tower, where a magical world opened, bringing him to meet the people he loved in a completely different identity.

The Japanese anime auteur, Hayao Miyazaki is making his much-awaited comeback with The Boy and The Heron after 2012. The English Voice Cast of The Boy And The Heron features the voices of Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Willem Dafoe, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, Karen Fukuhara, and Luca Padovan.

The Boy and the Heron Movie [Image Credit- Studio Ghibli]

The Boy and The Heron movie reveals the English dub cast

For The Boy and the Heron, voice director Michael Sinterniklaas – who says working on a Miyazaki film is the high point of his career – set one standard for the dub direction and it is honoring Miyazaki’s legendary imagination with an equally unparalleled set of performances from an absolutely star-studded cast. Both he and the cast believe they’ve fulfilled that mission, and the praise of critics and audiences alike has justified that belief.

“This was not your typical dub, as we are all so deeply respectful of the film and its creator, especially as we initially believed this would be Miyazaki’s final film,” Sinterniklaas says adding, “We were adamant about honoring Miyazaki’s visuals with equally sensitive and grounded performances. The adaptation needed to be both approved by Studio Ghibli and match lip-flap/synch, while dialing in specific circumstances to heighten the emotional connection.”

Director Hayao Miyazaki on choosing the cast

While the task was monumental, director Hayao Miyazaki knew what experience he wanted to create for audiences. And what was key in ensuring that experience was to excite and invigorate the voice cast to feel like they belonged to something truly special. Part of the recording process was finding each actor’s core drive and channeling that into the character, sometimes beyond the actors’ own preconceived expectations.

“We believe in the idea of cinema being truly transcendental and magical. What makes that magic come alive in anime is the depth and variation of voices behind the characters. With Micheal, we worked towards understanding and harnessing each actor's unique language of love which in effect inspires them to come into their own. Until we all become one unit feeling the same character beats and the progression of the story, the real connection will never get built - for us as a team and with our audiences", says Miyazaki.

The Boy and the Heron Movie [Image Credit- Studio Ghibli]

Finding the voices for each of the quirky, unique characters was one piece of the equation. Additionally, there was the casting of at least one key actor to play roles that were far from their wheelhouse, leading to some true surprises in the recording process.

“Some of the actors had to find a few different voices – particularly Robert (Pattinson) and Florence (Pugh) – and both of their abilities to transform were startling,” Sinterniklaas says. “Willem (Dafoe) would do whole runs of his entire monologue, which is kind of unheard of. The versatility employed by this cast was truly impressive."

“We really took a huge leap of faith with Robert Pattinson because we knew he would do all it takes to capture the essence of the film, the story, and of course his character. His previous body of work was anywhere close to this role. As we developed his voice for the lead character, we realized this was nowhere near the realm of work he'd previously done. Would people believe it’s Robert Pattinson ...is was what we found ourselves thinking.

"But he came and owned the booth with the character's tone and voice in mind. He’d seen the movie and made some voice recordings on his phone that he played for us when he arrived, and it was perfect! All we had to do was define for him the two faces of the Heron. Like the rest of us, Robert took this film very personally", says Miyazaki signing off.

The Boy and the Heron Movie [Image Credit- Studio Ghibli]

More about The Boy and The Heron

The Boy And The Heron won the Academy Award this year for Best Animated Feature. It also won the Best Animated Film at the Golden Globes, Bafta Film Awards, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association. This is director Hayao Miyazaki’s second Academy Award win. He had previously won an Oscar in 2001 for the Animated Film Spirited Away. The film will be released in cinemas across India on May 10, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures in both Japanese with English Subtitles and English Dubbed Versions.

ALSO READ: The Boy and The Heron By Acclaimed Director Hayao Miyzaki To Release Soon In Cinemas In India