Released to modest reviews on September 16, 2022, the Netflix original film Drifting Home is a delightful coming-of-age story about two childhood best friends who get swept in a harrowing adventure when their apartment complex is suddenly plunged into the depth of the ocean, forcing them and a few fellow sixth-graders to take on the ghastly Noppo, a young ghost with its own evil agenda.
Studded by an excellent cast of international actors, many will recognize the voices of the English-dubbed ensemble of Drifting Home from a host of popular movies and TV shows to be released in the recent past.
Bryce Papenbrook - Attack On Titan
Bryce Papenbrook voices the role of the protagonist Kosuke Kumagai in the acclaimed animated coming-of-age film, the reluctant hero who becomes the de facto hero leading his young friends on a perilous quest after their Kamonomiya apartment building is submerged in the ocean. One of the busiest American voice actors around, Papenbrook has nearly 300 credits including some of the most popular anime on record.
Aside from Blue Exorcist and Demon Slayer, most will recall hearing Bryce's voice as Eren Jaeger, the main protagonist in Attack on Titan, which he portrayed for 77 episodes between 2013 and 2022. While Kosuke begins as a timorous follower who evolves to become a fearless leader, by the end, the character becomes just as strong-willed, passionate, and caring as Eren. The way Kosuke looks after his best friend Natsume is reminiscent of the way Eren treats Armin, making Papenbrook's casting spot on.
Cassandra Morris - Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Cassandra Morris voices the role of Natsume, Kosuke's melancholic best friend grappling with her parent's divorce and the death of Kosuke's grandfather. While some may recall Morris' face from the movie Double Parked, most will recall her voice from such acclaimed animated series as My Hero Academia (as Kota), Sword Art Online (as Leafa), and more.
But with over 260 credits to date, Morris' most substantial role includes her 38-episode arc voicing the character of Wasabi Izuno in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations from 2017-2020. Wasabi is blunt, hyperactive, and unafraid to speak their mind, while Natsume is more reluctant and withdrawn. However, Natsume's heartfelt affection for Kosuke echoes the way Wasabi treated her best friend Namida even when the two bicker as if they were siblings.
Elliot Fletcher - Shameless
Elliot Fletcher is a terrific trans actor who portrays Noppo in Drifting Home, the ghostly pale entity that haunts the apartment complex and serves as Kosuke and Natsume's main antagonist. Unlike Pepenbrook and Morris, Fletcher has several live-action credits fans will recognize him for, including The Fosters, Tell Me Your Secrets, and most recently, Y: The Last Man.
However, Fletcher's memorable role as Trevor on Shameless is hard to ignore. The way he brought compassion, humor, and morality to the character, Ian's boyfriend and counselor for at-risk LGBTQ+ youths, really stood out as one of the best-supporting characters on the show. As the young ghost who terrorizes the Kamonomiya, Noppo couldn't be more different from Trevor, indicating Fletcher's immense acting range.
John DiMaggio - Futurama
John DiMaggio voices the role of Yasuji, Kosuke's recently deceased grandfather and former resident of the Kamonomiya who shows up in surreal memories and flashbacks to serve as an emotional tie to the past. Some may recall DiMaggio's face from playing Dr. Underhill on Chicago Hope, but most will remember his iconic turn as Bender on Futurama, one of the longest-running animated TV shows on record.
In Futurama, Bender is a drunk, lascivious, chain-smoking gambler and antiheroic caricature that couldn't be more different from the honorable and respectable Yasuji. The former is an absurd comic foil, the latter is a compassionate patriarch looking after his family even after death.
Cherami Leigh - Sailor Moon
In Drifting Home, Cherami Leigh portrays Kosuke's overworked mother Satoko who expresses concern for his whereabouts when he and Natsume disappear in the Kamonomiya. Leigh's onscreen credits include stints on Bones, Friday Night Lights, and Longmire, but it's her 400-odd voice credits in English-dubbed anime series that stand out most.
Leigh launched her successful voice-over career by playing Minako Aino/Sailor Venus for five years and over 160 episodes of the hit series Sailor Moon, the acclaimed fantasy Shoujo anime. As the original Sailor Guardian and intrepid leader of the Inner Sailor Guardians, Leigh's most prominent role is much different from her work as Satoko, who is much more callow, feeble and reserved than the badass Minako.
Alex Cazares - The Mighty Ones
Alex Cazares voices the role of Taishi in Drifting Home, one of Kosuke's incorrigible and hyperactive friends who lead him and Natsume into the Kamonomiya. An exclusive voice actor, Cazares has worked on Victor & Valentino and The Casagrandes, but most will remember her role as Verry Berry on The Mighty Ones.
The Mighty Ones follows the misadventures of a leaf, pebble, strawberry, and twig as they try to make the most of their confined backyard area. Much like Taishi, Verry Berry is bright, bubbly, daring, and way too immature for her own good, a quality that gets both characters into trouble more than once.
Ben Diskin - Kindergarten Cop
In Drifting Home, Ben Diskin plays Yuzuru, another one of the brazen 6th graders who run into the Kamonomiya with reckless abandon. A talented voice actor with over 360 credits, Diskin's role as Sai Yamanaka in Naruto: Shippuden is his most substantial to date and where most fans will recognize his voice. As for his face, Diskin played Sylvester in Kindergarten Cop.
Kindergarten Cop stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Kimble, a detective posing as a kindergarten teacher to bring down a criminal. Diskin steals the show as Sylvester, the hilariously unruly kindergarten student who gives Kimble more trouble than he can ever imagine. At 40 years old, Diskin returning to play a young school kid in Drifting Home is a nostalgic reminder of where he came from.
Abby Trott - Sherlock Holmes And The Great Escape
Abby Trott voices the role of Reina in Drifting Home, one of the jovial and juvenile 6th-graders who tries to break up the fighting between Kosuke and Natsume before they're all swept under the sea. While Reina isn't given much characterization, she blames Natsume for endangering the crew once they reach the depths of the ocean.
Trott has a wealth of animated voice credits, including her role as Yoh Asakura on Shaman King. In terms of movie credits, Trott played Little Rabbit in Sherlock and The Great Escape, an adorable assistant who gives Sherlock advice about his cases. Little Rabbit may not be as attitudinal as the 6th-grade Reina, but both characters do their best to help the protagonists solve the main mystery at hand.
Kana Hanazawa - Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie
Since Cherami Lee also voices the role of Juri, the last of the lost 6th graders who are thrown out to sea and experience a life-altering journey, it makes sense to highlight the actor who voices the role in the Japanese version. Kana Hanazawa voices Juri, the close friend of Reina who tries to mollify the row between Kosuke and Natsume before the building is swallowed up.
With no shortage of popular credits, Hanazawa recently voiced the role of Rika Orimoto in the Reddit-approved Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie, in which she plays Yuta's childhood friend who is resurrected as a vengeful spirit dubbed The Queen of Curses. While Rika has more in common with Noppo in Drifting Home than she does with Juri, both characters are unwavering when protecting their best friends.
Ayo Endo - Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown
Japanese actress Ayo Endo portrays a very minor character known as "Ferris Wheel girl" in Drifting Home, a person who operates the large attraction ride that Kosuke and Natsume visited as young children and look back on with nostalgia. With over 160 credits to her name, most will remember Endo's role as Sword Maiden in Goblin Slayer and its spinoff movie Goblin's Crown.
While Ferris Wheel Girl isn't given much to say in Drifting Home, Sword Maiden has a much more substantial arc as the submissive Female Bishop and childish charge of the Demon Slayer who lusts after him while battling her fear of goblins. Whether fans recognize her face or voice, Endo will voice Alear in the upcoming Fire Emblem: Engage video game.