Keanu Reeves will voice the lead character in Hidari, a Japanese stop-motion samurai feature from director Masashi Kawamura, the project’s producers announced Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film. The casting was revealed at the Annecy Animation Showcase in Cannes, where the pilot film screened alongside a talk with Kawamura and producer Noriko Matsumoto as part of an expanded Cannes Animation initiative — one that places Japan as Country of Honor at the market this year.
The action feature draws on folklore surrounding Jingoro Hidari, a legendary Edo-era craftsman whose historical existence remains disputed. Betrayed by conspirators determined to conceal the secrets behind Edo Castle’s reconstruction, Jingoro loses his father figure, his fiancée, and his right arm. He replaces the limb with a series of lethal mechanical prosthetics and, accompanied by a companion cat, pursues vengeance against those who destroyed his life. Every character in the film is hand-carved from wood and animated frame by frame — a method that mirrors the legendary craftsmanship of the protagonist himself.
The feature expands Kawamura’s 2023 proof-of-concept short, which has accumulated close to 5 million views on YouTube since its release. That short, self-funded and built as a pitch tool, blew past its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal of two million yen in just two days and went on to win prizes at more than 20 film festivals worldwide.
This marks Reeves’ first involvement in an original Japanese production. “I’m thrilled by the vision behind Hidari,” Reeves said. “From the proof of concept to the developed script, the team has created something truly extraordinary. I believe this project has the potential to bring something very special to audiences worldwide.” Reeves previously provided voices for Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 and Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Kawamura said Reeves’ attachment goes beyond recording sessions. “He’s helping us shape and expand this world,” the director said, “and I can’t wait to see where we take it together.”
Kawamura is a Tokyo-based filmmaker whose career spans commercials, music videos, and large-scale public installations. He holds a Cristal from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, an International Emmy nomination, and top honors from One Show and Clio. He also designed the largest pavilion at the 2025 Osaka World Expo and choreographed the dancing clone sequences for Lady Gaga’s stage productions.
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Producer Noriko Matsumoto leads dwarf studios, which partnered with Netflix on the Rilakkuma series and whose short Bottle George was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards. The film is a co-production between dwarf studios, Kawamura’s Tokyo creative agency Whatever, and stop-motion house TECARAT, with financing from content investor Questry. The project has also received support from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs through its Film Frontier Creator Support program. No release date has been announced.
