Studio Ghibli is one of the most celebrated animation studios in Japan. Their attention to detail is out of this world and they take a lot of time in-between movies to get everything just right. It may be cliche to say, but they are like the Disney of Japan and Hayao Miyazaki is like the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney.
Realistically, both companies are drastically different in how they are run such as the commercialization of each. The love of animation is the bonding agent, so much so that Disney helped bring a variety of Studio Ghibli movies over to the West. They also helped get big actors on board to dub in audio. Of the many Disney and non-Disney dubs, these Hollywood actors have the best performances.
1 Alison Lohman (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
Alison Lohman plays the titular main character in Nausicaa in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. This is technically not a Studio Ghibli movie, but it was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and led to the creation of the company, so it still fits. This movie has a lot of good messaging that can be carried over into today’s society.
The planet is doomed and people have been driven to small villages but they keep getting wiped out. There are alien bugs running around but they aren’t the problem and Nausicaa knows that. Lohman plays Nausicaa well as she drives home the point that people are kind of the villains of this movie.
2 Daveigh Chase (Spirited Away)
In Spirited Away Daveigh Chase plays Chihiro, who is the movie's main character. Chihiro and her family are moving to a new town but on the way there, they get lost. Instead of turning around her parents insist on checking out some ruins. Her mom and dad get turned into pig people and Chihiro has to figure out how to transform them back.
Chase nails the feeling of being a lost child in a magical society. Wondrous things are happening around her, but to a child, they can be frightening too. Spirited Away is a borderline horror movie getting right down to it.
3 Billy Bob Thornton (Princess Mononoke)
Billy Bob Thornton plays Jigo in Princess Mononoke, who is kind of an antagonist to Ashitaka and San. He first meets Ashitaka and befriends him as this lovable goof of a monk. As the movie goes on, tries to make out.
Thornton usually does a good job of being an ambiguous individual in his movies when he has to. That’s why casting him as Jigo was a perfect choice. There are times when he seems a bit sleepy in his voice work but that could also play into Jigo trying to lure people into a false sense of security.
4 Billy Crystal (Howl’s Moving Castle)
Billy Crystal plays Calcifer in Howl’s Moving Castle, the very fire that lights the titular castle. He is Billy Crystaling it up in this movie and it is great. In fact, many consider his performance to be one of the best dubbed performances in any Studio Ghibli movie.
Does it make sense that a Japanese fire in a fantasy movie is talking with a Brooklyn accent? No, but he’s one of the funniest characters to listen to. It’s great hearing all of the ways he tries to trick Sophie into letting him go but she is having none of it as she sees through his schemes.
5 Tina Fey (Ponyo)
Tina Fey plays Lisa, Sosuke’s mom, in the anime movie Ponyo. She might be one of the best moms in a Studio Ghibli movie, maybe even in all of anime. She is raising Sosuke primarily alone most of the time while her husband, Koichi, is away on boat tours for work.
The fact that she gets angry and decides to drink when Koichi lets them know that he can’t make it home makes Lisa feel more real. That’s why Fey works in this role as she has played many working-class women who need to let loose before like Liz Lemon in 30 Rock. She doesn’t have a kid in that show, but the point remains true.
6 Martin Short (The Wind Rises)
Martin Short plays Kurokawa in The Wind Rises, who acts as the main character Jiro’s boss. He doesn’t get to be as funny as other comedians who have stepped into Studio Ghibli movies before like the aforementioned Billy Crystal. It’s a different, more serious role for him but that’s good too.
His voice alone brings a certain warmth to the character while still being hilarious in his manic ways. Just hearing Short’s voice in an anime should be enough to get comedy fans on board for what could have been Hayao Miyazaki’s last movie.
7 Mark Hamill (Castle in the Sky)
Mark Hamill plays Colonel Muska, the main antagonist in Castle in the Sky. Castle in the Sky is the first Studio Ghibli movie, but Hayao Miyazaki’s third overall. It has a lot in common with video games. Final Fantasy, in particular, probably learned a lot from Castle in the Sky thanks to the importance of the movie’s reliance on crystals.
Hamill will always be remembered for two roles in his career: Luke Skywalker from Star Wars and The Joker from Batman the Animated Series. Colonel Muska almost has a Joker voice at times, which should be enough to get Batman fans interested.
8 Phil Hartman (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
Phil Hartman plays Jiji, Kiki’s cat in Kiki’s Delivery Service. It’s safe to say that whoever casts comedians in these tinier roles in Studio Ghibli movies knows what they are doing. Hartman has a smaller part than most as Jiji since halfway through the movie Kiki can’t hear him speak anymore.
It’s sad as every second with Hartman is gold, be it in this movie, Saturday Night Live, or The Simpsons. He brings a delightful sass to this cat. He is definitely a comedian/actor that was taken from the world far too soon.