Little details about the much-awaited new Studio Ghibli film, The Boy and the Heron, are coming to light. After revealing the English voice cast of Hayao Miyazaki’s final movie, GKIDS Films, the distributor behind the feature’s international release, has finally dropped its English-dubbed trailer, making fans more excited.
The trailer begins with a woman calling Mahito Maki’s name as the young boy walks on the field and gets near a huge golden gate. As the enigmatic musical score begins to play, a fire is seen while Mahito runs and calls for his mother. He then enters a home upon a woman’s invitation and sees a mysterious heron flying past him. “A lot of strange things happen in this place,” a woman says while numerous frogs climb up on Mahito’s face.
“I just hope he stays safe,” an old woman adds. As Mahito gets caught in a fire and ends up lying on a bed while his head is full of bandages, the heron returns and calls his name from the window. “What exactly are you,” Mahito asks in the next scene. “Your mother is awaiting your rescue,” the heron says as Mahito enters a tunnel. “I’ll be your guide.” Mahito then sees himself in the land of the dead, where several mysterious things happen.
Who are the English cast members of The Boy and the Heron?
The Boy and the Heron boasts A-list voice cast members, led by Luca Padovan as Mahito. For the other cast members, you can check the list below:
Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki
Dave Bautista as The Parakeet King
Gemma Chan as Natsuko
Willem Dafoe as Noble Pelican
Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi
Mark Hamill as Granduncle
Robert Pattinson as Gray Heron
Florence Pugh as Kiriko
Mamoudo Athie as The Parekeet
Tony Revolori as The Parakeet
Dan Stevens as The Parekeet
What is The Boy and the Heron about?
The Boy and the Heron follows the story of Mahito, who wants to see his mother again. To do so, he goes to another world where the dead and the living exist. As death ends in this mysterious world, life is about to find a new beginning. The film is said to be a semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, creation, and a tribute to friendship from the mind of the great Hayao Miyazaki himself.
You can read the synopsis below:
A young boy named Mahito, yearning for his mother, ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning.
The Boy and the Heron will hit international theaters on December 8. There will also be special preview engagements happening on November 22 in New York City and Los Angeles. As this will be the first feature film from Miyazaki after ten years and will reportedly be his last, this movie is a must-see.
