Keanu Reeves is stepping into the world of stop-motion animation as the voice of Jingoro Hidari, the protagonist of a feature-length samurai film from Japanese studio Dwarf Studios. The announcement came at the Annecy Animation Showcase during the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May.

Hidari tells the story of a skilled carpenter and sculptor who seeks revenge after losing his right arm and father in a setup orchestrated by his own disciples. Armed with a weaponized prosthetic limb and accompanied by his partner "Sleeping Cat," Jingoro discovers that the Tokugawa Shogunate orchestrated the betrayal. His quest leads him through battles with mechanical soldiers and eventually a confrontation with the mastermind—but first, he must prevent the Edo Castle itself from becoming a weapon of mass destruction.

The character draws inspiration from Jingoro Hidari, a legendary Edo-period sculptor known for crafting remarkably lifelike animal carvings. Historical theories suggest he earned the name "Hidari" (meaning "left" in Japanese) either because he was left-handed or lost his right arm to a jealous rival—inspiration the film's creators used as a launching point for this original adventure.

The project isn't starting from scratch. Dwarf Studios released a pilot film in 2023 that's since accumulated over 4.9 million views on YouTube and earned recognition at multiple international film festivals. Director Masashi Kawamura and producer Noriko Matsumoto presented the pilot and discussed the feature's development at Cannes.

The full film is slated for 90 minutes and has already secured funding through a Kickstarter campaign that raised approximately $95,961 from 1,419 backers. According to a September update on the campaign page, the production team estimates they'll need roughly four years to complete the feature.

This marks a notable crossover between Hollywood and Japanese stop-motion craft, with Reeves joining a project that blends historical inspiration with original storytelling and mechanical action sequences. The collaboration underscores growing international interest in Japanese animation studios and their willingness to partner with established talent from the West.