It’s been almost a decade since Toy Story 3, when our favorite team of toys bid farewell to their owner, Andy, and found a new home and meaning with the lovable Bonnie. It was a bittersweet ending, one that made us mourn our childhoods but reflect fondly on the memories we made along the way. It felt like a perfect ending for the franchise, but leave it to Pixar to bring the toys back for another existential tear-jerker. Toy Story 4 is racking up glowing reviews from critics, but that doesn’t mean it’s all smiles and rainbows. No, the sequel is also a personal attack on our emotions.
In this Nerdist News Edition, we sent our ace reporter Markeia McCarty to Orlando to speak with the cast and creatives behind Pixar’s latest feature, a film sure to send us all down an emotional rabbit hole of feelings.
Toy Story 4 sees the return of Bo Peep, voiced by Annie Potts, who told Markeia the character’s evolution has been a “wonderful 24 years. But with this new one, Bo does have a front and center role, and gets to elbow her way into the boy’s club. It’s a lot of fun to do that, and it reflects what’s happening in society as well.”
In addition to more Bo Peep, Toy Story 4 will introduce a bunch of new toys, too, including Tony Hale’s Forky. (We also learned that Hale is a fan of Nerdist. Hey, thanks man!) Looks like Forky will be a perfect conduit for us to channel all of our existential dread about life and growth. “He came into the world with, ‘I help people eat chili, and then I do to the trash, that’s pretty much my path,'” Hale explained of his quirky character. “And Woody comes along and is like, ‘You have a greater purpose than that. You have more value.’ There are a lot of folks that maybe think that’s their one direction, and it’s like, ‘No, no, you’re made for much more.'”
Check out the whole video for even more interviews with producer Mark Nielsen and director Josh Cooley, and be sure to check out Toy Story 4, in theaters now. Don’t forget the tissues!
Images: Disney, Pixar
