BODY: The toys are back in Tokyo. On June 30, the cast of Toy Story 5 lined up at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya for the film's glitzy Japan premiere, giving Japanese fans their first look at the dub team behind Pixar's latest.
Anchoring the lineup were the franchise's two pillars: Toshiaki Karasawa, who has voiced Woody in Japanese since the original 1995 film, and comedian-musician George Tokoro as Buzz Lightyear. Their decades-long pairing is one of the most beloved dub partnerships in Japan, and their return reassured longtime audiences that the heart of the series remains intact. Yumi Kusakabe again lent her voice to cowgirl Jessie.
The premiere also spotlighted a wave of newcomers stepping into the series' new characters. Actress Alice Hirose takes on Lilypad, while M!LK's Hayato Sano drew laughs introducing himself as "the Smarty Pants guy." Nogizaka46's Nagi Inoue voices Snappy, Reiwa Roman comedian Kemuri Matsui plays Atlas, and actor Ryo Ryusei rounds out the group as the ever-anxious Forky.
The mix of veteran voices and buzzy young idols and comedians reflects a now-standard strategy for major Hollywood releases in Japan, where casting recognizable TV personalities helps drive opening-weekend turnout.
The insider take
In Japan, voice-acting credits for big animated imports are treated as genuine star events, and the casting choices here are telling. Pixar and Disney increasingly tap idol-group members like Inoue and rising comedy acts like Reiwa Roman not just for their performances but for their built-in fanbases on social media and variety TV. For Karasawa and Tokoro, though, these roles are something closer to legacy stewardship — they've grown old alongside Woody and Buzz, and Japanese audiences hear them as the characters' true voices. That blend of continuity and freshly minted star power is exactly the formula Japanese distributors bet on for a tentpole like this.
Originally reported by 映画ナタリー - 最新ニュース (Japanese).