‘Toy Story 4’ Trailer Signals Return Of Woody & Buzz While Introducing A Bizarre New Character
The teaser trailer for Toy Story 4 has been released, and the clip introduces us to a brand new character — a fork. According to E! News, the trailer features an idyllic, picturesque scene of the toys we’ve come to know and love throughout the franchise living together in harmony. They are all holding hands and twirling in a circle set to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” Then, the peaceful scene is ruined as we pan to a plastic fork with a make-shift face made out of googly-eyes and pipe cleaners. The fork frantically yells that he’s not a toy, and the spinning circle of toys shifts into chaos as the toys begin to crash and scatter. According to an official synopsis released by Pixar, this new addition’s name is “Forky.”
“Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie,” the description reads. “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.”
Toy Story 4 is set to hit theaters on June 21, 2019. Many assumed the Toy Story franchise was completed with the last installment in the series, Toy Story 3. However, director Josh Cooley revealed that the toy’s journey was not over with stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen back on board to voice the main characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Cooley believes audiences can still learn more from the animated toys.
“Like most people, I assumed that Toy Story 3 was the end of the story. And it was the end of Woody’s story with Andy,” said Cooley. “But just like in life, every ending is a new beginning. Woody now being in a new room, with new toys, and a new kid was something we have never seen before. The questions of what that would be like became the beginning of an entertaining story worth exploring.”
Cooley also elaborated on the “crisis” poor Forky will face after joining the other toys living in Bonnie’s room.
“The world of Toy Story is built upon the idea that everything in the world has a purpose. A toy’s purpose is to be there for its child. But what about toys that are made out of other objects? Forky is a toy that Bonnie made out of a disposable spork, so he’s facing a crisis,” Cooley said. “He wants to fulfill his purpose as a spork, but now has a new toy purpose thrust upon him.”
Forky will be voiced by Emmy award-winner Tony Hale, who was fully sold on the project after learning his role would be about “a utensil’s existential crisis.” Cooley praised Hale’s performance, stating that Hale delivers a “comedy salad of confidence, confusion, and empathy.” While the movie is sure to have a lot of laughs, both Hanks and Allen have shared that the emotional ending will have moviegoers tearing up.
