Keanu Reeves to Voice Lead in Stop-Motion Samurai Film ‘Hidari’

Keanu Reeves is heading to feudal Japan. The actor has signed on to lead the voice cast of Hidari, director Masashi Kawamura’s stop-motion samurai feature, with the news breaking Sunday morning at the Annecy Animation Showcase in Cannes.

The film is a full feature expansion of Kawamura’s viral 2023 proof-of-concept short of the same name — a stunning piece of stop-motion work that has racked up close to 5 million views on YouTube since its release. Reeves will voice Jingoro Hidari, a near-mythic master carpenter from Japan’s Edo period whose story is equal parts tragedy and revenge thriller.

The official synopsis lays it out: betrayed by those desperate to bury the secrets of Edo Castle’s reconstruction, Jingoro loses everything — his father figure, his fiancée, and even his right arm. Rather than break, he channels that grief into vengeance, wielding a series of lethal mechanical prosthetic arms of his own design. At his side throughout: his loyal wooden companion, the Sleeping Cat.

It’s the kind of role that feels almost written for Reeves — a stoic, skilled warrior driven by loss who fights his way toward something resembling justice. Sound familiar?

“I’m thrilled by the vision behind Hidari,” Reeves said in a statement. “From the proof of concept to the developed script, the team has created something truly extraordinary. It has all the makings of an exceptional film — one I’m excited to see and eager to be part of. I believe this project has the potential to bring something very special to audiences worldwide.”

For Kawamura, getting that call from Reeves was a genuine pinch-yourself moment. “When someone with his experience and creative vision watches your proof of concept and says ‘I want to be part of this,’ it’s an incredible feeling,” the director said. “He’s not just lending his voice to Hidari — he’s helping us shape and expand this world, and I can’t wait to see where we take it together.”

A Director With a Résumé Like No Other

Kawamura isn’t your typical animation filmmaker. The Tokyo-based director’s work spans commercials, music videos, TV, and large-scale public installations — including designing the largest pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 and creating the dancing clones for Lady Gaga’s stage performances. His projects have earned a Cristal at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, an International Emmy nomination, and top honors at the One Show and Clio Awards. He also wrote the screenplay for Hidari.

The film is produced by Noriko Matsumoto under her Japanese animation house Dwarf Studios, which has made a name for itself by bridging Japanese animation and global platforms. The studio partnered with Netflix on the beloved Rilakkuma series, and Matsumoto’s recent short Bottle George was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards. Hidari is a co-production between Dwarf Studios, Tokyo creative agency Whatever, and animation house TECARAT, with financing from Questry Co.’s Tomonobu Ibe, one of Japan’s leading entertainment finance specialists.

Reeves Is No Stranger to the Voice Booth

This isn’t Reeves’ first time stepping away from live-action to lend his voice to an animated world. He voiced the scene-stealing Duke Caboom in Pixar’s Toy Story 4 in 2019, and more recently played Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 2024. He’s also been deeply involved in animation-adjacent work through his BRZRKR comic book and Netflix project.

No release date has been set for Hidari yet, but given the pedigree behind it — and the internet’s already established love for that original short — this one is going to be worth the wait.