Woody has always been confident about his place in the world, and his priority is taking care of his kid – whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called “Forky” to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy.
The highly anticipated film arrives in theaters June 21 – and it just wouldn’t be the same without Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The rest of the gang, Jessie (Joan Cusack), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), the Potato Heads (Don Rickles, Estelle Harris), and Hamm (John Ratzenberger) among others, join Bonnie’s newest toy “Forky”(Tony Hale) and set off on a road trip adventure that reunites them with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and a new cast of amazing characters including Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) & Bunny (Jordan Peele), Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), and Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki).
Forky along with Bo Peep can already be found in Walt Disney World Toy Story Land, along with a vast assortment of merchandise. I was able to participate in a media preview that included an early screening of the film, a look at new products including toys, games, and collectibles associated with the film, and a press conference featuring some of the voice actors along with Director Josh Cooley and Producers Jonas Rivera and Mark Nielsen. There may be slight unintentional spoilers in the Q&A… fair warning. Overall, this film is marvelous. It’s the perfect extension to the Toy Story franchise with a great mix of familiar characters, alongside new characters on an unexpected adventure… it’s perfect and you need to see it!!! Maybe even before you watch the rest of this…
The first question on everyone’s mind… The trilogy appeared to wrap up perfectly with the ending of Toy Story 3, why Toy Story 4? Director Josh Cooley answered “We had those questions five years ago when we started…. Tons of responsibility, tons of pressure. A lot of sleepless nights knowing that we were going to attempt this. Because we love the end of Toy Story 3 and felt like that’s the completion of Woody and Andy’s Story. But there was more of Woody’s story to tell, so that’s how we approached it” Producer Jonas Rivera added “… we thought Toy Story 2 was the last one…. The end of Andy’s story and Woody’s story… as filmmakers, to be honest, we felt satisfied that this is where you can end it. Now there’s an implied future to all these films and we sort of never say never at Pixar.”
A consistent of all the Toy Story movies is Woody and Buzz Lightyear… Tim Allen was asked about the evolution of Buzz Lightyear over the past 24 years. “his [Buzz Lightyear] core has always been this little authentic kind of soft-hearted… and you see in this movie, it’s kind of weird about that. Woody has this inner voice; I think it’s the sweetest part of this movie… He [Buzz Lightyear] is Innocent… and he’s just one of his [Woody’s] best friends… That’s the journey through this thing, how cool of friends these guys are.”
Tom Hanks added “Woody has been the great gift that I’ve seen play out again and again in my own family as well as sort of around the world, even in cultures where it’s not my voice. It’s Spanish or Mandarin or what have you…. What I have truly appreciated is that no matter how old you are now, when you see one of the movies, you’re the same age you were when you saw it first… there is a cohesiveness and an eternal quality to not just the stories and the characters, but the emotional bonds that we all have with each one of them”.
Bo Peep is back, and Annie Potts was asked about stepping back into the role: “Well, lovely, with a new improved, emboldened, courageous, seasoned gal. It’s been lovely.”
Pixar is famous for hiding Easter Eggs in films, references to previous or future Pixar projects. What can we expect in Toy Story 4? Josh Cooley “… There are a lot of Easter Eggs in this movie. I swear if you pause any frame when they are in the [antique] store, you’ll see something in the background.” Mark Nielsen added, “Yeah. From every movie Pixar has ever done, there’s something in the antique store”. Jonas Rivera added, “Some we didn’t even know…. I just noticed the other day, Carl and Ellie’s house shrunk down on the shelf…” Josh Cooley “Bing Bong’s Rocket…”
How would you sum up Toy Story 4 in one word? Josh Cooley, Director responded, “If I was to just sum it up in one word, it’s Transition. Every character in this movie has gone through a transition or is struggling with going through one… Bo Peep has gone through one… Woody is struggling with moving from Andy’s Room to Bonnie’s Room, Forky doesn’t even want to transition, Gabby Gabby is stuck in time.”
Speaking of Forky, Tony Hale the voice of Forky was asked about joining such an iconic team. “It’s overwhelming, which helps because Forky is very overwhelmed… I remember when they brought me up to Pixar… and described him [Forky] as kind of nervous, I was like a check. He [Forky] asked a lot of questions, check and he’s kind of nervous, check, and he’s kind of gullible to a fault. It’s like bingo, I’m in.”
Where did the idea for Gabby Gabby come from? Josh Cooley “Great question. We realized we had never done a doll before, just a regular doll, and we all have daughters, so we look at our own kids and their toys… the idea of a talking Tina or Chatty Cathy and a little godfather… it’s one of my favorite scenes.” Jonas Rivera “The story would not work without Gabby Gabby. She is an echo of Woody. The same thing for Duke Caboom and Giggle and everybody new”
Christina Hendricks the voice of Gabby Gabby “…you have to listen to everyone’s full story before you make a judgment about them… everyone comes from a place and it’s what made them who they are, and you need to listen to that before you can fully understand them”
Mark Nielsen. “We had signed him [Don Rickles] before we lost him… we wanted to see if we could craft a performance from all the incredible sessions we’ve had with Don through the years. He recorded for theme park rides and toys and commercials, short films, feature films, a lot that we hadn’t used before. So, we were honored to really be able to kind of keep his memory in the film, and our editorial department did a great job really creating his performance out of his own voice from past projects.”
Absolutely not forgotten, Keanu Reeves as Duke Kaboom. “There are so many different kinds of people going through different things, and Duke Caboom just happened to be a crybaby, and a super with a big heart and brave, who loved life, and so I think that there’s a bit of Duke Caboom in all of us”.
So, what’s next for the franchise? Mark Nielsen “I’m producing some short films for Disney Plus which will star Forky, our very own Tony Hale.” Mark goes on. “It’s a series called Forky Asks a Question; There are ten episodes that will be on Disney Plus when it comes live in November”
