'The Emoji Movie': Meet James Corden's High-Spirited, High-Fiving Character

James Corden and Hi-5 (Photo: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation)
James Corden and Hi-5 (Photo: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation)

With The Angry Birds Movie having already flown into theaters, the next animated mobile-inspired film is on the way. The Emoji Movie — based, yes, on the various smiley faces and funny characters that you use in texts — arrives stateside this summer. And we now have an exclusive look at the cheery character that will be voiced by The Late Late Show host James Corden.

That smiling guy is Hi-5, the sidekick to The Emoji Movie’s hero Gene (voiced by T.J. Miller), who embarks on an epic quest to fix the fact that — unlike all of his emoji compatriots, who boast only a single expression — he has no filter and can make whatever face he likes. As the official breakdown of Hi-5 explains: “He’s a big ham, brimming over with exuberant confidence. Hi-5 used to be a Favorite…. But recently Hi-5 has been usurped by a new Favorite… Fist Bump Emoji. Hi-5 can’t stand the rejection and just wants to be popular again.”

Alongside code-breaker Jailbreak (Anna Faris), Gene and Hi-5 will set out on an adventure through Textpolis (the virtual city hidden inside people’s smartphones) to find a code that will fix Gene’s condition. Whether they’re successful in that mission won’t be known until July 28, when The Emoji Movie arrives in theaters nationwide.

Watch the teaser:

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