Toy Story 5:ChocoPlat will reprise their roles as the Japanese voice actors for the fluffy, sarcastic plush toys Ducky and Bunny. A still image of them rescuing the toys has also been released.

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. It was announced on June 23rd that the comedy duo "Chocolate Planet" will be providing the Japanese voiceovers for the new film. Shun Matsuo will reprise his role as Ducky, the cute and fluffy yellow duck plush toy who was popular in the previous film "Toy Story 4" for his contrasting sharp tongue, while Shohei Osada will reprise his role as Bunny, the blue rabbit plush toy. Along with this announcement, a still image was released showing the familiar toy friends, including Sheriff Cowboy Doll Woody, Bo Peep, Ducky & Bunny, rescuing abandoned toys.

Ducky and Bunny were originally plush toys that were prizes at a traveling amusement park's shooting gallery. Despite their cute appearance, the two are sharp-tongued and talkative, always together and engaging in humorous banter. They dreamed of one day being taken home by a child, but now, along with Woody, they are working to rescue discarded toys.

The newly released stills show Woody, Ducky & Bunny, and Duke Caboom, a motorcycle stuntman toy, working together to rescue a small toy. The small toy, which had been abandoned by its owner due to the arrival of the greatest threat in history, "Digital," is rescued safely, but is crying and screaming in Bo Peep's arms, illustrating the horror of "Digital" that is attacking the toys. Faced with such a threat, Woody returns to the room of his former owner, a young girl named Bonnie, for the first time in a long time, and together with his partner Buzz, they stand up again! In this age where smartphones and tablets are commonplace, what is the "true role" that toys can play for children...?

◇Can the toys win back the heart of the young girl, Bonnie?

"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 watched over the growth of the imaginative and shy girl, Bonnie. When Bonnie's parents, worried that she is struggling to make friends because the other kids are moving on from toys and are engrossed in tablets, her life changes drastically when they give her a state-of-the-art tablet, the "LilyPad." Worried that Bonnie's radiant smile, which used to shine when she played, is fading as she becomes absorbed in the screen, Jessie asks 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 Hirose voices the new character LilyPad (the latest tablet), Alice Hirose Hayato Sano of "M!LK" voices Smarty Pants, and Ryo Ryusei voices Forky.

The film premiered in the US on June 19th local time, and in its first three days, it grossed over $160 million (approximately 25.76 billion yen, calculated at 1 dollar = 161 yen, according to Box Office Mojo as of June 22nd). It has also been released in countries around the world, including the UK, Spain, Mexico, South Korea, and China, and its worldwide box office revenue has surpassed $301.2 million (approximately 50.232 billion yen), making it the highest-grossing opening weekend in the history of the "Toy Story" series. It will be released in Japan on July 3rd.