On May 20th, it was revealed that 11-year-old Elio will voice the protagonist, a lonely boy named Elio who loves space, and 6-year-old Tasuku Sato will voice the timid, kind-hearted, lonely alien boy named Grodon in the Japanese version of Disney & Pixar's new animated film "Elio: A Link to the Stars" (released August 1st). A video showing the two dubbing was also released.
The protagonist, Elio, is a lonely boy who is single-mindedly engrossed in the universe he loves. He believes that one day he will be able to go into space, searching for his place in the universe. One day, his wish comes true and he is mistaken for the "leader of Earth" and transported to a space summit in space, where leaders from various planets gather. The story follows Elio as he meets his space friends, forms bonds with them, finds his place in the universe, and grows as a person.
The film will be directed by Madeline Sharafian, who served as story artist on "Coco" (2017), Domee Shi, director of "Me and the Red Panda" (2022), and Adrian Molina, who wrote and co-directed "Coco."
Kawahara, who plays the role of Elio, has appeared in many hit dramas, including "Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu", the NHK morning drama "Toto Neechan" in the first half of 2016, and "Doctor-X: Surgeon Daimon Michiko", and is known for his role as Sato Kotaro in the drama "Kotaro Lives Alone". When asked how he felt when he was chosen for the role of Elio, he said with a smile, "I love space, just like Elio. Elio is kind, brave, and a very good boy, so I was very happy to be chosen for the role of Elio. My family, like me, love Disney and Pixar works, so they were very happy for me!"
Regarding the dubbing recording, he commented, "The images are beautiful and the characters have a wide range of expressions, so it was easy to think about what emotions to put into this scene. The other characters are also very lively, so dubbing was a lot of fun!" He said that when he first met Ozora-kun, who plays Glodon, who Elio meets in the "world of stars" many light years away and deepens his bond with, "I was looking forward to hearing what kind of person Glodon is like when I was dubbing, so when I actually met Ozora-kun and heard his voice and talked to him, I thought he was perfect for the role of Glodon," and that they quickly became friends, just like Elio and Glodon.
Grodon, a kind-hearted, lonely alien boy who meets the lonely boy Elio in the "Communiverse" and becomes his best friend. He has a strong and powerful father, but he is troubled by his own "timidity" which is different from those around him, and he has never been out in the outside world until he meets Elio. He is a boy who is innocently happy and finds everything he sees fresh.
Ozora, who plays the role of Glodon, has appeared in dramas such as "PICU Pediatric Intensive Care Unit" (2022) and "Dr. Yuria's Red Thread" (2023). He gained attention last year when he played the role of a lion in the hit drama "Light of My Lion". Ozora, who had just started elementary school, was chosen to play the role of Glodon, and confessed, "I was so happy! My mom loves Disney, so my mom's dream came true. My dad and my brother (Haruto Sato, his older brother and child actor) were also happy," revealing that the whole family, who love Disney, was happy. Regarding the dubbing recording, he confessed that he was a little confused, saying, "It was fun. It was difficult to adjust my voice." We are looking forward to the dialogue between Elio and Glodon, played by the two actors who passed the US audition and were recognized for their skills.
