Since it's been so long since we saw these characters on screen, even hardcore fans might
need a refresher course before heading to the theater for their new adventure.
But don't worry we've got you covered with this look at everything you need to know before
you grab your tickets for Toy Story 4.
Toy Story just wouldn't be what it is without its two leads, so of course Tom Hanks is back
as Woody, and Tim Allen returns as Buzz Lightyear.
But it isn't just those two that help give so much heart to the world of Toy Story and
luckily, just about every character in the Toy Story universe is coming back for the
fourth film.
But there are plenty of new characters to look forward to as well.
Like an overstuffed toy box, it seems there's always room for some new characters for us
to fall in love with.
A huge part of the narrative of Toy Story 4 seems to be centered on Forky, voiced by
Tony Hale, who seems to be in the midst of an existential crisis about whether or not
he's truly a toy.
Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key also join the film as Bunny and Ducky, a pair of stuffed
animals who join forces with Woody and friends, while Christina Hendricks will join the cast
as a character named Gabby Gabby, a vintage baby doll who commands an army of ventriloquist
dummies in an antique mall, and appears to be the central villain of the film.
The extra wait for Toy Story 4 may have been frustrating for fans, but it helped the timing
align in at least one crucial way: Keanu Reeves' voice work as new character Duke Caboom arrives
in the midst of a career revival for the Hollywood veteran.
It's just another reminder that Reeves can handle pretty much any type of role and as
the Pixar brass discovered shortly after arranging a meeting, he gives his all to any character,
even the ones made out of plastic.
Director Josh Cooley told Entertainment Weekly:
"Once Keanu came to the table, he was just asking all of these great questions about
the character.
It made us realize that we weren't digging deep enough for this character and there's
a real opportunity to have him support Woody's story in a much bigger way."
Reeves revealed that digging deeper included building out a touching backstory for Duke,
a Canadian stuntman sold to kids with promises the toy might not have been able to fulfill.
"He's the most spectacular daredevil Canada has ever seen"
Reeves explained:
"Duke let his kid down when he couldn't do what the commercial said he could.
So he's a wounded person!
[...] I wanted him to have a real sensitivity and a soft heart."
You may have noticed one surprising returning cast member of Toy Story 4: Don Rickles, the
voice of Mr. Potato Head.
Not that Rickles' performance needed changing he's one of the most entertaining side characters
in the franchise.
"You would not believe what I've been through tonight."
However, Rickles died in 2017 as the script for the film was still being written.
He'd signed on to be a part of it, but was unable to record any lines for the new film.
After his passing, Rickles' family reached out to Pixar and asked if there was any way
that the late comedian could still be a part of the film.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Josh Cooley confirmed that there
was plenty of material to bring Rickles back for one more go, saying:
"We went through, jeez, 25 years of everything we didn't use for Toy Story 1, 2, 3, the theme
parks, the ice capades, the video games — everything that he's recorded for Mr. Potato Head.
[...] And so I'm very honored that they asked us to do that, and I'm very honored that he's
in the film.
Nobody can replace him."
At the end of Toy Story 3, Andy decided it was time to move on from his childhood toys
and passed them along to Bonnie, inducing tears for about the fifth time during the
film.
Toy Story 4 will reportedly pick up with what sounds like a flashback to a time between
the events of Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 -- a time when Bo Peep was still around.
If you recall, she was absent without much explanation in the third film.
"Yeah, we've lost friends along the way.
Wheezy, and Etch, and…
Bo Peep?
Yeah, even Bo."
Those who have seen the beginning of Toy Story 4 indicate that it will fill in many blanks
about where Bo Peep disappeared to and what Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys have
been up to since we last saw them.
MovieWeb writes that the main events of the film take place nine years after the first
scene, bringing us back to the main events with Woody and the gang adjusting to their
new life with Bonnie.
Toy Story 4 has been in the works for quite some time, and not just due to the fact that
Pixar's animation process and attention to detail takes a long time to complete.
The film has actually gone through a series of writing and directing changes since it
was first announced in 2014.
The original directing duo was cut in half when John Lasseter stepped down, but that's
just one of several behind-the-scenes shake-ups.
The film has also been through a number of writers, and even saw a near-total rewrite
at one point.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack were originally in charge of the story, but they walked away
about the same time Lasseter stepped down from his role as the co-director.
It's too bad for Pixar that the delays pushed back Toy Story 4 so far, but we did get the
delightful Incredibles 2 to fill the space.
Not a terrible second choice.
In the original version of the script, Toy Story 4 was billed as a romantic comedy.
Pixar president Jim Morris told Disney Latino in 2015 that Toy Story 4 would still follow
the arc established by previous chapters in the franchise, but it would also follow its
own path and tell a totally different type of story.
According to Morris, that the film won't focus much on the relationship between toys and
children, but would instead depict a love story between Woody and Bo Peep.
This may be an indication of why the studio reached out to Jones and McCormack, who had
previously written the film Celeste and Jesse Forever.
However, in the interim, the script has gone through some major changes since it was originally
conceived, and it seems possible that Toy Story 4 may have reverted back to some of
the more familiar storytelling beats the series is known for.
"Jesse Ham Bo Rex Potato Head Hey watch it Pal…”
“Where do we go?”
“Let’s go save a spork."
Considering that Toy Story 3 seemed to wrap up the franchise on a perfect note, many fans
were surprised to hear that Pixar was making a fourth film.
It might be hard to believe there's another great story to tell here, but according to
the film's stars, Toy Story 4 is the most emotional chapter in the series.
Tim Allen, who plays Buzz Lightyear, appeared on The Talk and told the hosts that he actually
struggled to get through the final scenes of Toy Story 4 due to their emotional weight.
"I gotta resist getting emotional.
I don't want to give it away, but this is an incredibly great story."
Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, echoed those sentiments, telling The Chris Evans Show that
he could barely even read his lines on the last day.
"When I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them."
"I didn't want to see them and I wanted to pretend they couldn't see me."
It could be easy to dismiss Hanks and Allen's comments they're hyping their upcoming film,
after all, and they've played these characters since 1995.
Of course it was emotional for them.
However, the response to an early screening of Toy Story 4's opening act seems to indicate
that this is more than just a couple of big stars trying to put butts in seats.
In April 2019, Disney surprised the audience at CinemaCon by showing the first 17 minutes
of the film, and it sounds like Hanks and Allen aren't just paying lip service with
their comments.
Essentially, it sounds like you may need to see Toy Story 4 more than once, as you might
be crying too much the first time around to catch every detail.
"I can't watch!
Can someone cover my eyes?"
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