The Boy and the Heron voice cast: Who stars in the English dub?
Christian Bale, Florence Pugh and Robert Pattinson are among the A-listers to lend their voice to the new Studio Ghibli film.
A new film from legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is always a big moment in the film world – especially given the Studio Ghibli co-founder had previously announced his retirement from filmmaking.
His latest film The Boy and the Heron is his first in ten years and has already won wild acclaim ahead of its release in UK cinemas, scoring a wealth of rave reviews, emerging as a frontrunner for a number of awards, and even topping the US Box Office – a first for Miyazaki.
While many UK filmgoers may wish to watch the film in its original Japanese with English subtitles, Studio Ghibli also traditionally puts great care and attention into its English voiceover dubs, and that's no different this time around.
An impressive range of A-listers – from Mark Hamill and Willem Dafoe to Florence Pugh and Robert Pattinson – have lent their voices to characters in the film.
Read on for everything you need to know about the English voice cast, including who they're playing and where you might recognise them from.
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Luca Padovan voices Mahito Maki
Who is Mahito Maki? A 12-year-old boy struggling to settle in a new town after his mother's death – until a strange encounter with a talking heron sees him embark on an surreal journey.
What else has Luca Padovan been in? Padovan is perhaps best known for his role as Paco – Joe's young neighbour in the first season of You, while other roles include Are You Afraid of the Dark? and No Hard Feelings.
Mahito is voiced in the original Japanese version by Soma Santoki
Robert Pattinson voices The Gray Heron
Who is The Gray Heron? An outlandish, talking bird who leads Mahito on his surreal journey.
What else has Robert Pattinson been in? After first finding fame as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pattinson became one of the biggest stars in the world while starring as Edward Cullen in the Twilight films.
He has since gone on to star in a string of acclaimed films by revered auteurs, with highlights including Cosmopolis, The Lost City of Z, Good Time, High Life, The Lighthouse and Tenet. Meanwhile in 2021, he also became the latest actor to take in the role of Batman.
The Gray Heron is voiced in the original Japanese version by Masaki Suda
Florence Pugh voices Kiriko
Who is Kiriko? One of the maids who works in Natsuko's estate, Kiriko initially appears as an old woman before Mahito comes across a younger version of her later on his surreal adventure.
What else has Florence Pugh been in? Pugh has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the world in recent years thanks to her starring roles in films such as Lady Macbeth, Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, Little Women, Black Widow, Don't Worry Darling, and Oppenheimer. Next year she will star in Dune: Part 2.
Kiriki is voiced in the original Japanese version by Ko Shibasaki
Christian Bale voices Shoichi Maki
Who is Shoichi Maki? Mahito's father who is and air munitions factory owner and remarries his late wife's younger sister.
What else has Christian Bale been in? Bale rose to prominence as a child star in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and is now best known for his roles as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films, and Oscar-nominated turns in films such as The Fighter (for which he won), American Hustle, The Big Short and Vice.
Other key credits include Velvet Goldmine, The Machinist, The Prestige, I'm Not There, Terminator Salvation, Ford v Ferrari and The Pale Blue Eye, while he played villain Gorr the God Butcher in MCU film Thor: Love and Thunder.
Shoichi is voiced in the original Japanese version by Takuya Kimura
Dave Bautista voices The Parakeet King
Who is The Parakeet King? The leader of a villainous band of Parakeets, who terrorise Mahito on his adventure.
What else has Dave Bautista been in? Bautista famously started out as a professional wrestler but has enjoyed a seamless transition to acting.
He is most famous for his role as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, while other prominent credits include Spectre, Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Knock at the Cabin.
The Parakeet King is voiced in the original Japanese version by Soma Santoki
Gemma Chan voices Natsuko
Who is Natsuko? Shoichi's new wife and the younger sister of his late ex-wide Hisako.
What else has Gemma Chan been in? British star Chan began her career with acting roles in hit shows such as Doctor Who, Sherlock and Secret Diary of a Call Girl before starring in all three seasons of Channel 4 series Humans.
She has since gone on to star in a number of high-profile films including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Transformers: The Last Knight, Crazy Rich Asians, Don't Worry Darling and The Creator, while she has appeared in two different MCU flicks – playing Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel and Sersi in Eternals.
Natsuko is voiced in the original Japanese version by Yoshino Kimura
Willem Dafoe voices Noble Pelican
Who is Noble Pelican? An old bird whom Mahito encounters on his adventure.
What else has Willem Dafoe been in? One of the most prolific actors working today – he's been in 7 films in 2023 alone – Dafoe has worked with many of the greatest directors on the planet.
Highlights from his extensive CV include To Live and Die in LA, The Last Temptation of Christ, Mississippi Burning, Wild at Heart, The English Patient, American Psycho, Antichrist, John Wick, The Florida Project, The Lighthouse, Nightmare Alley, and The Northman, while he famously played supervillain Norman Osborn / Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
He has also starred in several Wes Anderson films such as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch and Asteroid City.
Noble Pelican is voiced in the original Japanese version by Kaoru Kobayashi
Karen Fukuhara voices Lady Himi
Who is Lady Himi? A pyrokinetic young woman who allies with Mahito encounters on his adventure.
What else has Karen Fukuhara been in? Fukuhara is best known for her role as Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female in The Boys, while film credits include Suicide Squad and Bullet Train. She's previously had voice roles in a range of TV shows such as She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Lady Himi is voiced in the original Japanese version by Aimyon
Mark Hamill voices Granduncle
Who is Granduncle? Natsuko's eccentric grand-uncle who had been an architect before he disappeared inside the walls of a tower he had been building – the same tower Mahito is led to by the heron.
What else has Mark Hamill been in? Hamill can boast the rare honour of having played one of the most iconic big-screen characters of all time in Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker, while he's also worked extensively as a voice actor – most famously as the Joker in multiple animated Batman films and TV shows.
Granduncle is voiced in the original Japanese version by Shōhei Hino
The English Dub cast also includes: Denise Pickering (Hercules) as Izumi, Barbara Rosenblat (Orange Is the New Black) as Utako, Melora Harte (Akira) as Eriko and Barbara Goodson (Power Rangers) as Aiko.
The Boy and the Heron is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
