Keanu Reeves to Star in HIDARI Stop-Motion Film

TL;DR, Keanu Reeves will star as Jingoro Hidari in dwarf studios’ HIDARI feature, announced at the Annecy showcase in Cannes. The pilot has 4.9 million YouTube views and the film is planned at 90 minutes, with no release date confirmed.

Sunlight on the Croisette, a wooden samurai on screen. Dwarf studios announced at the Annecy Animation Showcase in Cannes that Keanu Reeves will star as master sculptor Jingoro Hidari in HIDARI, a full-length stop-motion feature. The Keanu Reeves Hidari stop motion samurai film pairs an A-list lead with an artisanal Japanese animation house.

The studio screened its award-winning pilot at the event and outlined plans for a 90-minute feature. 9 million views on YouTube since 2023, which helped power the move to a feature. A theatrical release date is not confirmed for the Keanu Reeves Hidari stop motion samurai film.

Who joins the HIDARI cast, and who they play

At Cannes, dwarf studios named one performer and one role. Keanu Reeves will play Jingoro Hidari, the folkloric sculptor reimagined here as a one-armed artisan who becomes an avenger. This Keanu Reeves Hidari reveal is the only casting the studio has made public so far.

Jingoro Hidari comes from Edo-period legends about a left-handed carver whose lifelike animals stir to life. The film’s site frames him as a survivor seeking the masterminds behind a massacre, fighting mechanical soldiers on the road to Edo Castle, now turned into a weapon. Reeves is attached to that lead, and no other roles were specified.

• Confirmed: Keanu Reeves as Jingoro Hidari, announced by the studio at the Annecy showcase during Cannes.
• Character context: Inspired by folklore about a prodigious sculptor, sometimes said to have lost an arm to a jealous rival.
• Story setup: Jingoro hunts those behind a murderous plot tied to the Tokugawa Shogunate and faces an army of mechanical soldiers.
• Language: Variety previously reported the feature is in English. The studio has not listed the rest of the dwarf studios cast.
• Additional casting: No other performers, villains, or allies have been announced by the studio.
• Open questions: Voice direction and any dual-language plans are not yet confirmed by the production.

What dwarf studios showed for HIDARI at Cannes

At the Annecy Animation Showcase during the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, dwarf studios screened the HIDARI pilot and sat down for a talk with director Masashi Kawamura and producer Noriko Matsumoto. The session took place on Sunday at the showcase. The team announced that actor Keanu Reeves will star as Jingoro Hidari in the stop-motion feature.

They used the session to present the current status and prospects for the feature-length adaptation, which is planned to run 90 minutes. The Keanu Reeves Hidari stop motion samurai film update gave the Cannes crowd a clear snapshot of where the project stands and where it is headed. The film’s original story takes inspiration from legends about the Edo-period sculptor Jingoro Hidari.

9 million views on its YouTube channel. It has already collected several awards at international film festivals. At Cannes, the showcase paired the screening with a production briefing.

The studio noted that it is still recruiting partners and raising funds for the feature, alongside financial support already secured from Questry and backing from a successful Kickstarter campaign that brought in 15,255,294 yen from 1,419 backers.

Kawamura is also writing the screenplay, with Iku Ogawa co-directing and designing characters with Takeshi Yashiro, who handles wood carving and art design. Producers Yūsuke Tominaga and Masami Ouchi join Matsumoto on the producing team. TECARAT is creating the wooden puppets, while Whatever Co.

supports the script, direction, art direction, and promotions. An update on the project’s Kickstarter page on September 5 stated the staff estimate about four years of production after receiving a green light. Variety previously noted the film will be in English and is currently slated for completion in 2029.

HIDARI’s production, stop-motion format and release status

At the Annecy Animation Showcase of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, dwarf studios announced that actor Keanu Reeves will star as Jingoro Hidari in HIDARI. Director Masashi Kawamura and producer Noriko Matsumoto outlined the current status and prospects for the project. The HIDARI feature film is slated to run 90 minutes and will be produced in stop-motion by the studio.

Kawamura is also writing the screenplay. Iku Ogawa is co-directing and designing the characters with Takeshi Yashiro, who leads wood carving and art design. The team is collaborating with TECARAT to create the wooden puppets, while Kawamura’s creative studio Whatever Co.

is in charge of the script, direction, art direction, and promotions.

Funding and scheduling details point to a long build. The film’s Kickstarter campaign has raised 15,255,294 yen, about US$95,961, from 1,419 backers. The production has also received financial support from Questry, a financial startup and asset manager for the Japanese entertainment and content industry.

The project is still recruiting partners and raising funds for its feature-length adaptation. An update posted on September 5 to the Kickstarter page states that the staff estimate about four years of production after the team receives a green light. Entertainment outlet Variety has noted that the film will be in English and is currently slated for completion in 2029.

As for when audiences can see it, a release date and distribution details are not yet confirmed. 9 million views on its YouTube channel and collected several awards at international festivals. The Keanu Reeves Hidari stop motion samurai film continues to advance under dwarf studios as a handcrafted production.

The pilot remains the publicly available preview. The team remains focused on finishing the 90-minute movie, and formal release plans are not yet confirmed.

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Source: ANN