They did it with Spirited Away, too, with Daveigh Chase in the lead role. That didn't turn out bad.
You have to realize that Disney doesn't just go and cast certain people because they want to. HundreRAB of people audition for these. They just cast whoever is the best out of the people that auditioned.
They weren't shoehorned into it. They went through the same process every other actor goes through to get a part.
