Although the story of the man who designed Japanese fighter pilots in World War II doesn’t exactly scream family-friendly material, particularly with a subplot surrounding an ailing wife, Disney is betting against the odds early next year. The company gave Hayao Miyazaki‘s final film, The Wind Rises, a one-week qualifying run in New York last month (complete with subtitles) and now for its wide release in February they’ve unveiled their English-language voice cast.
When coming to America, Studio Ghibli works have long since feature top actors and the latest dub is no different. Leading the pack is the ever-busy Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who’ll be playing the lead character of Jiro Horikoshi, a boy who has been obsessed with flying from a young age and goes on to make it his life’s work. Stanley Tucci will voice the role of Italian plane designer Giovanni Caproni, who appears in dream sequences. Rounding out the cast is Werner Herzog and JGL’s Looper co-star Emily Blunt, as well as John Krasinski, Mandy Patinkin, and more. See the full rundown below via USA Today and check back for our year-end round-up, where the film is guaranteed to make an appearance.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt — main character Jiro Horikoshi
Emily Blunt — love interest Nahoko Satomi
John Krasinski — Honjo, Jiro’s college pal and fellow aviation engineer
Martin Short — Kurokawa, Jiro’s grumpy boss
Stanley Tucci — Caproni, Italian airplane creator
Mandy Patinkin — Hattori, senior designer at Mitsubishi
William H. Macy — Satomi, Nahoko’s father
Werner Herzog — the mysterious Castorp
Mae Whitman — Kayo, Jiro’s younger sister, as well as Kinu, Nahoko’s caretaker
Jennifer Grey — Mrs. Kurokawa
Darren Criss — Katayama, one of Jiro’s engineering colleagues
Elijah Wood — Sone, another of Jiro’s colleagues
Ronan Farrow — Mitsubishi employee
The Wind Rises opens on February 21st.
What do you think of the voice cast?