‘Lydia and the Mist Rider’ Animated Feature Sets English-Language Voice Cast

Boutique film distributor Maison 4:3 and Canadian animation studio 10th Ave Productions today announced the English voice cast for the animated feature Lydia and the Mist Rider. The sixth feature film from 10th Ave Productions (The Legend of Sarila, Katak the Brave Beluga) will hit theaters on February 20, 2026.

Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets) will voice the young heroine Lydia, an apprentice astromancer in both the English- and French-language versions (Lydia et le vaisseau des tempêtes) of the film, which also features the voices of Mizinga Mwinga (The Porter) as Captain Chadio, Hasani Freeman (You Can Live Forever) as Lucas and Sarah Booth (Three Pines) as Ambrosia.

The English cast is rounded out by Anna Hopkins as Eshara, Nico DeCastris as Thaddeus, Kathleen Fee as Granny Esther, Mark Camacho as the Cheese Seller, Arthur Holden as Kidjano and Watchman, and Alexandra Bacon as Mael/Spellbinder, among others.

The French-language version also stars Anthony Kavanagh as Capitaine Chadio, Eveline Gélinas as Ambrosia, Guy Nadon as Kidjano, Gildor Roy as Fromager, Dorothée Berryman as Grand-mère Esther, Alexandre Bacon as Mael/Envoûteur, Lyndz Dantiste as Lucas, Kevin Houle and Philomène Bilodeau.

After more than two years of work, under the direction of screenwriter and co-director Emilie Rosas, sound designer Jérôme Boiteau of Studio Expression, and producer and co-director Nancy Florence Savard of 10th Ave, the performers brought life to the digital characters created entirely by local artists.

“We called on artists who truly embody the characters created by artistic director and co-director Philippe Arseneau Bussières,” said Savard.

Voice recording sessions began in Québec City in October 2023 and were completed last week in Montréal and in Canton-de-Hatley, where the songs were recorded under the direction of composer Jean-François Racine.

“At the very beginning of the recording process, I didn’t have any visual references, everything existed only on paper. I had the full script, all the lines, all the dialogue, but it was really up to me to create Lydia’s character,” Nélisse shared. “The first time, when we recorded the English version, I worked a lot with the actors playing Lucas (Hasani Freeman) and Thaddeus (Nico DeCastris). What’s really special is that we were face-to-face, it almost felt like a theatre scene, but in audio form. It brought a lot of energy, authenticity, and spontaneity to my performance. It was truly fun.”

Go into the recording booth with the newly announced voice stars in this behind-the-scenes video series.

Synopsis: Lydia and the Mist Rider takes audiences on a journey through a completely fantastical universe. When her older brother Thaddeus is mysteriously kidnapped by the Spellbinder, 11-year-old Lydia sets off to find him in the Misty Sea. Picked up by the crew of a flying ship, the Dolphin, Lydia becomes the apprentice of Ambrosia, an astromancer. Ambrosia is trying to find other children who have disappeared, including her own son. Determined to solve the mystery, Lydia must learn astromagic and ready herself to confront the Spellbinder.

The screenplay, written by Emilie Rosas, is a loose adaptation of Yves Meynard’s novels Le vaisseau des tempêtes and Le prince des glaces, published by Médiaspaul.

The 10th Ave production was made possible thanks to the support of Telefilm Canada, SODEC, the Canada Media Fund, the City of Québec, the Shaw Rocket Fund, Bell Media/Crave, CBC/Radio-Canada, the Harold Greenberg Fund, and Investissement Québec, as well as provincial and federal tax credit programs. The film is distributed in Canada by Maison 4:3. Attraction Distribution, in collaboration with 10th Ave Studio, handles international sales.

10ave.com