{"rewrite":{"id":"r_86721a681d53e1e3ca94cffd","clusterId":"c_011a8a2fc6b9e4c57824731f","slug":"m-lk-s-sano-yuto-joins-toy-story-5-as-smarty-pants-voice-actor","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"M!LK's Sano Yuto Joins Toy Story 5 as Smarty Pants Voice Actor","summary":"Sano Yuto, a member of the vocal dance unit M!LK, has been cast as the Japanese voice of the new high-tech toy Smarty Pants in Toy Story 5. He passed an audition at Pixar's US headquarters and re-recorded about 80-90% of his lines after the initial dubbing session, working with the director to refine the performance.","whyItMatters":"The casting marks Sano's first voice acting role in a franchise he has followed since childhood, and his approach to the dubbing process shows Pixar's trust in a performer from the music industry for a major character.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSano Yuto, actor and member of the five-member vocal dance unit M!LK, has been cast as the Japanese voice of Smarty Pants, a new high-tech toy for toilet training in Toy Story 5. He passed an audition at Pixar\u0026#39;s US headquarters to join the series he calls \u0026#39;something that has always been by my side.\u0026#39;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe production team instructed Sano not to practice before the dubbing day, but he practiced thoroughly anyway. After recording, he re-recorded about 80-90% of his lines, working with the director to avoid sounding like himself. \u0026#39;I wanted people to feel that this character is speaking without any discomfort,\u0026#39; he said.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sano Yuto's Pixar audition and 80-90% re-recording rate suggest Toy Story 5's production is still deep in refinement, not final assembly.","twitterPost":"Sano Yuto's 80-90% line re-record rate at Pixar hints Toy Story 5 is still in performance-tuning phase.","threadsPost":"Sano Yuto passed an audition at Pixar's US headquarters for Toy Story 5, then re-recorded 80-90% of his lines with the director. That re-record rate is a signal: the film is still in performance refinement, not locked.","newsletterBlurb":"Sano Yuto, a member of the vocal dance unit M!LK, has been cast as the Japanese voice of Smarty Pants in Toy Story 5. He passed an audition at Pixar's US headquarters and re-recorded most of his lines to ensure the character felt distinct from his own persona.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155641\",\"title\":\"Sano Yuto on \\\"What He Wants to Keep Protecting Unchanged\\\"... M!LK's Rapid Rise and Feelings for Fans\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4284,"outputTokens":574,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783030613,"createdAt":"2026-07-02T22:05:16.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-02T22:09:50.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T22:09:50.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_011a8a2fc6b9e4c57824731f","canonicalTitle":"佐野勇斗が“変わらずに守り続けたいもの”…M!LKの快進撃とファンへの思い","representativeArticleId":"a_c63b7d87d81009db3ae505f4","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Toy Story 5\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Pixar\"],\"people\":[\"Sano Yuto\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-02T21:30:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-02T21:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T22:09:50.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155641","title":"佐野勇斗が“変わらずに守り続けたいもの”…M!LKの快進撃とファンへの思い"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Toy Story 5"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Pixar"],"people":["Sano Yuto"],"type":"announcement","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Sano Yuto, a member of the vocal dance unit M!LK, voices the new high-tech toy Smarty Pants in Toy Story 5.","He passed an audition at Pixar's US headquarters for the role.","Sano re-recorded about 80-90% of his lines after the initial dubbing session.","The production team instructed Sano not to practice before the dubbing day, but he practiced anyway.","Sano said he wanted viewers to feel the character is speaking without any discomfort."]}