Image taken from Disney Movies
It’s hard to believe that Disney’s CGI-animated, multi-million dollar media franchise began nearly a quarter of a century ago. Toy Story came out in 1995—the same year Windows 95 was released, O.J. Simpson was aquitted, and the Bosnian War ended. To put a pop culture spin on it: Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody’s original owner Andy is definitely older than 1995 babies Timothée Chalamet, Gigi Hadid and Troye Sivan.
We’re all familiar with the concept: All toys are actually alive, and high jinks ensue when their humans aren’t around. We followed the adventures of Andy’s toys while he was away at camp in Toy Story 2, and before he went off to college in Toy Story 3—which was also when he passed on his set of toys to new owner Bonnie.
What can we look forward to in this latest installment? Toy Story 4 is set a few years after the previous movie, following the toys with Bonnie and her family on a road trip. The film is slated for a theatrical release in the United States on June 21, 2019, in Dolby Cinema, IMAX 3D and RealD 3D. It is Josh Cooley’s feature film directorial debut, though he is no stranger to the genre, having worked on Inside Out, as well as writing and directing its short sequel Riley’s First Date.
Toy Story 4 features returning voice actors—including a posthumous performance by Don Rickles—as well as exciting additions to the beloved core cast. Before we get to the rundown of main characters and their voice actors, let’s take a quick look at the stacked supporting ensemble.
Rickles would have loved a chance to work with the quartet of comedy greats—Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner and Betty White—playing Bonnie’s old and forgotten toddler toys.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele—brimming with long-standing improv chemistry first seen as castmates on MADtv, and then as a pair on Key and Peele—play Ducky and Bunny, a pair of toys that appear in the film as carnival prizes.
Finally, we have 2019 media darling and all-round good guy Keanu Reeves playing Duke Caboom, a 1970s action figure with a tragic past that the toys meet in an antique store.
Sheriff Woody: Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks’ first foray into voice acting was a great one: pullstring cowboy action figure Woody, leader of Andy’s toys. Hanks played Woody just a year after his back to back Best Actor Oscar wins for his work in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Woody cemented Hanks’ wholesome and all-ages appeal, who remains one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood today.
Buzz Lightyear: Tim Allen
Most of us know Tim Allen as Tool Time host Tim Taylor in Home Improvement, or conservative Mike Baxter in Last Man Standing. He’s also the relatable Santa in the Santa Clause films. Allen is great at playing initially unlikable characters that grow on you, and Buzz Lightyear is no different. Introduced as Woody’s rival, Buzz eventually becomes Woody’s second-in-command.
Bo Peep: Annie Potts
Porcelain figurine Bo Peep did not appear in the main storyline of Toy Story 3, but returns as a significant component of Toy Story 4. Bo Peep is typical of Annie Potts’ work: a minor role done well, building up to a major impact. Consider some of her other memorable roles: Iona in Pretty in Pink, Janine in the Ghostbusters films, and Meemaw in TV’s Young Sheldon.
Tony Hale: Forky
Tony Hale is one of two newcomers playing a main role in the new Toy Story installment. He voices a toy created by Bonnie, made with googly eyes, a pipe cleaner, and a spork. Neurotic Forky can’t accept that he is a toy that comes to life—which sounds like a perfect role for Hale, best known on TV as Buster Bluth in Arrested Development and Gary Walsh in Veep.
Christina Hendricks: Gabby Gabby
Good Girls star and Mad Men alum Christina Hendricks previously voiced Unity in Rick and Morty and Sam Harper in the video game Need for Speed: The Run. She returns to voice acting in Toy Story 4 as main antagonist Gabby Gabby, a vintage 1950s doll. Gabby Gabby is the first female antagonist of the Toy Story franchise, but how villainous she really is remains to be seen.
Joan Cusack: Jessie
Jessie is not an original member of Andy’s toy gang led by Woody. The cowgirl doll joins them with great hesitation at the end of Toy Story 2, her feelings explained by arguably the best song to come out of the media franchise: Grammy award-winning “When She Loved Me.” Sarah McLachlan sings the ballad, but it is Joan Cusack that is tasked to portray emotionally damaged Jessie. Cusack is joined by A Series of Unfortunate Events co-star Hale in Toy Story 4.
Wallace Shawn: Rex
“Inconceivable!” is probably one of the most referenced movie lines from the 1980s, in part because of Wallace Shawn’s unforgettable Vizzini in classic fantasy rom-com Princess Bride. Talented as an actor on screen and off, Rex is not Shawn’s only animated role. He’s also in The Incredibles, A Goofy Movie, and more. Like Toy Story co-star Annie Potts, Shawn’s been with the franchise since the start, and is currently acting in TV’s Young Sheldon.
John Ratzenberger: Hamm
We all grew up watching John Ratzenberger on TV as Cliff in Cheers, but his career extends way beyond the sitcom. Even before his roles in animated films—Hamm in the Toy Story films, Mack in the Cars films, Yeti in the Monsters, Inc. films, the Underminer in The Incredibles films, and more—he played villain sidekick Rigger in iconic animated TV series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Real world-savvy piggy bank Hamm is one of his most memorable characters.
Blake Clark: Slinky Dog
Blake Clark took over voicing Slink starting in Toy Story 3 after the original actor, Clark’s good friend Jim Varney—best known as fictional character Ernest P. Worrell—passed away in 2000. Before Clark ever uttered Slink’s catch phrase “Golly bob-howdy!” he was also incidentally Harry the Hardware Store Guy on Home Improvement with Toy Story series co-star Tim Allen.
Don Rickles: Mr. Potato Head
Hollywood legend Don Rickles was set to reprise sarcastic, fast-talking Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 4, but passed away in 2017 before recording any lines. He appears posthumously in this fourth installment through the careful and meticulous use of his recordings for past Toy Story media—an idea brought to the filmmakers by Rickles’ family.
Estelle Harris: Mrs. Potato Head
It is impossible to mistake Estelle Harris for anyone else, on screen or not. Younger fans know her as Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story 2 and 3—she doesn’t appear in the first one, only mentioned at the end as a Christmas present of Molly’s—and as Muriel on TV’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Older fans will remember her best as her namesake character Estelle Costanza, George’s melodramatic Jewish mother, immortalized in reruns of Seinfeld.
