Top 10 Celeb Performances in Ghibli Movies

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They helped bring Miyazaki's visions to life. Join Ashley as we look over the best English dub performances in Studio Ghibli productions

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at actors who loaned their voices to the English

00:08 dubs of Studio Ghibli films.

00:19 The Wind Rises stands out as one of the few Miyazaki movies to centre on a real-life figure,

00:25 Jiro Horikoshi, who designed many Japanese fighter planes during World War II.

00:37 Although Horikoshi's aircraft cost numerous lives, the film is more about Horikoshi's

00:42 passion for engineering.

00:44 Joseph Gordon-Levitt conveys that passion, balancing it with naive optimism.

00:49 Horikoshi is so focused on building beautiful planes, that he fails to see their destructive

00:54 potential.

01:01 Gordon-Levitt finds the humanity in a controversial dreamer who only sought to create.

01:07 It's how those creations were used by others that made Horikoshi such a complex figure.

01:13 Bringing an everyman quality to his performance, Gordon-Levitt is surprisingly relatable as

01:19 a man who'd change history in ways he didn't imagine.

01:31 Coming a long way since Twilight, Robert Pattinson has proven himself to be one of the most versatile

01:36 actors.

01:41 He added voice acting to his resume, with "The Boy and the Heron" turning in one

01:46 of the most surprising performances.

01:49 Pattinson voices the Grey Heron, who flies into Mojito Maki's life.

01:54 You'd never guess in a million years that it's Pattinson behind the microphone, putting

01:59 on a gravelly voice that blends spectacularly with the Heron's unnerving design.

02:11 Pattinson adds to the ambiguity, hitting a note that's creepy yet enticing.

02:17 Time will only tell if this ends up being Miyazaki's last film, but it's hopefully

02:21 just the beginning of Pattinson's voiceover career.

02:32 You simply cannot go wrong with Tim Curry.

02:35 Even so, the casting of him as the pompous feline is pitch perfect.

02:41 One look at that character and you knew there was only one man for the job.

02:50 The Cat King is all about the lavish lifestyle, and is as laid back as they come, hilariously

02:56 dropping the word "babe" in sentences here and there.

03:00 It's a different take on the character than the original Japanese voiceover, but that

03:07 really works in its favour, as it gives you more reasons to check out the dub.

03:12 Best of all, Tim Curry had a brilliant time playing the character, as is evidenced by

03:17 the behind-the-scenes footage.

03:27 The bonds between humanity and nature are at the core of Princess Mononoke.

03:33 While attempting to build a bridge between worlds, Prince Ashitaka forms an unlikely

03:38 connection with San, a woman raised by wolves.

03:42 As strong as Billy Crudup and Claire Danes are in their respective roles, Minnie Driver

03:47 delivers the English dub's fiercest performance as Lady Eboshi.

03:54 Although Eboshi wages war against the forest, the film doesn't turn her into a one-dimensional

04:00 antagonist.

04:01 Driver unearths the nuance of a born leader, who's ready to defend her town at any cost.

04:10 Even if you don't agree with Eboshi's methods, Driver supplies the character with

04:14 such a commanding spirit that anyone would be compelled to follow her into battle.

04:20 While headstrong, Eboshi isn't without room for growth.

04:30 My Neighbor Totoro

04:32 The success of My Neighbor Totoro largely depends on the believable relationship between

04:37 sisters Satsuki and Mei.

04:40 What better way to achieve that authenticity than by casting two real-life sisters in the

04:45 role?

04:49 Although dubbing a voice comes with certain limitations, Dakota and Elle Fanning inject

04:54 a natural spontaneity that captures childhood at its most playful.

04:59 As Satsuki and Mei run through the forest, you can almost imagine the Fanning sisters

05:03 bouncing around the recording booth.

05:09 At the same time, there's a sophistication to their delivery, making it all the more

05:13 apparent that these young girls would have prominent futures in Hollywood.

05:18 The Fannings provide the narrative with a grounded centre, turning the magical world

05:23 of Totoro into a slice of everyday life.

05:33 Castle in the Sky

05:35 When we first meet Air Pirate Dola and her gang, it appears they'll be the villains

05:40 of this story.

05:44 That distinction actually goes to government agent Muska, voiced by a deliciously two-faced

05:50 Mark Hamill.

05:51 Dola, meanwhile, emerges as an ally, taking Pazu and Sheeta under her wing in a race to

05:57 the eponymous Castle in the Sky.

05:59 Cloris Leachman shines in the role, portraying Dola as a cunning captain who runs a tight

06:05 ship.

06:06 Yet, she's also a lively adventurer and a maternal figure who hides her warmth behind

06:15 a gruff attitude.

06:16 Leachman captures every facet without skipping a beat.

06:20 By the film's end, you'll want to join Dola's gang with Leachman's performance

06:24 proving too infectious to resist.

06:35 Around the same time that she played Lilo, Davy Chase lent her voice to another animated

06:40 icon.

06:46 The English dub of "Spirited Away" couldn't be more perfectly cast, with Jason Marsden

06:52 as the enigmatic Haku, and Suzanne Plachette in a dual role as the polar opposite twin

06:58 sisters.

06:59 Though, the dub would have fallen flat without the right voice for Chihiro.

07:04 Like she did with Lilo, Chase manages to be loud and whiny, while also being relatable

07:09 and endearing.

07:15 We don't just see Chihiro mature into a braver, more confident person; we hear it

07:20 in Chase's performance.

07:22 As much as Chihiro changes throughout the film, Chase is consistently believable as

07:27 an ordinary girl flung into an extraordinary world, preparing her for a new chapter in

07:33 life.

07:42 Being a man dressed as a bat without coming off as ridiculous is harder than it sounds.

07:47 Michael Keaton famously pulled it off though, making him an appropriate choice to voice

07:52 a flying ace turned into a humanoid pig.

08:00 Although it might sound like a silly premise, Porco Rosso is one of Ghibli's most layered

08:05 protagonists.

08:06 Keaton compared the character to Humphrey Bogart, supplying Porco with a similar hard-boiled,

08:12 unphased demeanour.

08:13 There's a Rick Blaine quality to Porco, whose past has left him with a cynical outlook.

08:23 Porco may deny it, but there's an honourable, even heroic figure behind the pig waiting

08:28 to break free.

08:30 Keaton's cool delivery also makes him a great foil for the egotistical Curtis, voiced

08:36 by the always entertaining Cary Elwes.

08:50 While we could easily point towards Billy Crystal's brilliant performance as Calcifer,

08:55 Bale had the opportunity to flex far more range.

08:59 From his suave, flirty attitude, all the way to his hair mishap breakdown, Christian Bale

09:04 really shows off his voice acting chops in this timeless classic.

09:09 It's very difficult to bring a believability to these layers of Hal's personality, as

09:17 you have to portray the show-off, but also the fragile recluse behind the facade.

09:22 But, he totally nailed it.

09:27 There's a pretty good reason why so many dub watchers have a massive crush on Hal,

09:38 and that's thanks to this Welshman.

10:05 Ghibli's English dubs continually hit the jackpot with child actors.

10:10 When this film came to the States, you couldn't have asked for a better up-and-comer to voice

10:14 Kiki than Kirsten Dunst.

10:21 She may be a witch, but Kiki stands out as one of the most identifiable and empathetic

10:26 characters in any medium.

10:28 Dunst overflows with friendly optimism, while still finding the insecurity every young person

10:34 experiences on the road to finding themself.

10:37 She has a natural rapport with the late Phil Hartman, who delivered one of his final performances

10:43 as the wisecracking black cat, Gigi.

10:51 Celebrity voice talent often offers a gateway for Westerners who are just discovering Japanese

10:56 animation.

10:58 After hearing Dunst perform as Kiki, you'll be compelled to watch the entire Ghibli library.

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11:19 [music]

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