The latest installment in the Disney & Pixar animated film series, "Toy Story 5" (directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris), will be released in Japan on July 3rd. In the new film, Karen Amano will voice Bonnie, the imaginative but shy girl who inherits Woody and the other toys from Andy, and Noa Shiroyama will voice Blaze, the girl who owns the new character Smarty Pants and the "Tech Trio." In addition, Keiko Toda will voice Bo Peep, Yuji Mitsuya will voice Rex, and Toshiyuki Morikawa will voice Duke Caboom, with a total of 15 Japanese voice actors being announced on June 16th.
◇Kaname Amano from "Cells at Work!" and Noa Shirayama from "5 Centimeters Per Second" - Popular child actors appear together
Amano, who will be playing Bonnie, is a child actress who played the young Riley in "Inside Out 2" (2024) and a platelet in the movie "Cells at Work!" (2024). When asked about being cast as Bonnie, Amano commented, "The moment I heard, I pumped my fists in the air with both hands. I was so happy, it felt like a dream come true, that I would be able to enter the world of 'Toy Story,' which I have loved since I was little." Amano, who is currently in the fourth grade of elementary school, said that she related to Bonnie while playing the role, and revealed that she felt a connection with Bonnie, saying, "I'm also a shy person, so when I talk to people I've just met, I get nervous and fidget like Bonnie and can't talk properly, so when I was playing the role, I thought, 'I really understand her.'"
Blaze, a young girl who lives in the farm house that Jessie unexpectedly stumbles into, is voiced by Ms. Shirayama. Blaze has a lively and cheerful personality, and has forgotten about the toilet training toys she played with as a child: Smarty Pants, a toy digital camera called Snappy, and a toy digital map called Atlas, all of which are now on a shelf.
Shirayama, who won the Best New Actor Award at the 49th Japan Academy Awards for the film "5 Centimeters Per Second" (2025), reflected on being cast as Blaze, saying, "I've loved 'Toy Story' since I was little and watched it many times, so I was overjoyed when I heard I would be able to audition. When I heard I was cast, I really couldn't believe it, and it still feels like a dream to be involved in a work that I've loved for so long." She added, "I myself love playing with toys, and even when I was in elementary school, I would play by myself, making all sorts of different voices. So I was really happy to think, 'We're the same!'" She revealed her memories of playing with toys. Jessie meets the Smarty Pants who have been forgotten by Blaze, but what kind of story will unfold?
◇ Miyuki Sawashiro, Kenta Miyake, and Yoneko Matsukane also appear.
Furthermore, the Japanese voice cast for the series' familiar toys includes a lineup of talented voice actors. Miyuki Sawashiro voices Dolly the ragdoll cat in a soft cloth dress, Ayaka Kyo voices Trixie the energetic plastic triceratops doll, Koji Ochiai voices Mr. Pricklepants the hedgehog plush toy in suspender pants, Yuji Mitsuya voices Rex the plastic tyrannosaurus toy, and Kenta Miyake voices Combat Kenta Miyake the soldier toy.
Furthermore, Junichi Endo will voice Mr. Potato Head, the husband of the potato-headed couple; Shinji Tsuji will voice Slinky Dog, the toy dog with a springy body; Yoneko Matsukane will voice Mrs. Potato Head, the wife of the potato-headed couple; Keiko Toda will voice Bo Peep, the shepherdess doll who helps Woody rescue abandoned toys; Shunsuke Sakino will voice Hamm, the piggy bank that stores money in its belly; Tomoyuki Morikawa will voice Duke Caboom, the toy motorcycle stuntman; Toshiyuki Morikawa will voice Karen Beverly, the toy made from a plastic knife who married Forky; and Susumu Fukumatsu will voice Buttercup, the unicorn plush toy with a golden horn. With the Japanese voice cast having supported the series for 30 years since the first film was released in Japan, expectations are high for the dubbed version.
◇ Jesse rises to the challenge to win back Bonnie's heart.
"Toy Story" was Disney & Pixar's first feature film, with the first installment produced in 1995 and released in Japan in 1996. The story of a boy named Andy whose toys come to life and go on adventures when humans aren't looking, and the full CGI that brought toys like Woody and Buzz Lightyear to life, became a worldwide hit. The second installment was released in 1999 (2000 in Japan), the third in 2010, and the fourth in 2019.
In the latest installment, "Toy Story 5," Jessie, a cowgirl doll who has taken over as "sheriff" from Woody and is now the leader of the toys in Bonnie's room, has been watching over the growth of the imaginative and shy girl, Bonnie. Jessie was struggling to make friends because the other kids were moving on from toys and becoming engrossed in tablets, leaving her with no one to talk to. Concerned about Bonnie, her parents give her a state-of-the-art tablet, the "LilyPad," and everything changes. Worried that Bonnie's radiant smile, which used to shine when she played, was fading as she became absorbed in the screen, Jessie turns to Woody for help. Teaming up again with Woody and Buzz, Jessie rises to the challenge of winning back Bonnie's spirit...
In the Japanese version, actor Toshiaki Karasawa voices Woody throughout the series, while entertainer George Tokoro voices Buzz Lightyear. Yumi Kusaka voices Jessie, Alice Alice Hirose voices the new character LilyPad (the latest tablet), Hayato Sano of "M!LK" voices Smarty Pants, and Ryo Ryusei voices Forky. Toy Story 5 will be released nationwide on July 3rd.
