TOY STORY 4: Sporks, Stuntmen & Surprises!

Woody, Buzz & the gang have been part of our popular culture for the better part of 25 years, and this latest installment of the Toy Story franchise promises to be as fun, emotional and exciting as the first three movies.

The film is set where Toy Story 3 left off nine years ago, with Bonnie as the new caretaker of Andy’s toys. She loves all of her new friends, but Woody is feeling a little left out. So when Bonnie is nervous about starting Kindergarten, Woody takes it upon himself to offer her some much needed support in her backpack at school. That’s where he meets Forky (Tony Hale) – a crafty creation that Bonnie lovingly makes using an old spork, popsicle stick and some pipecleaner. But when Forky goes missing on a weekend RV trip, Woody & the gang’s search takes us through a wacky roadside carnival and a mysterious antique store.



We meet a new cast of characters on this adventure, including Duke Caboom – Canada’s Greatest Stuntman (Keanu Reeves), Ducky & Bunny – two carnival prize stuffies (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele), and Gabby Gabby – the talking baby doll (Christina Hendricks). Of course some old favorites are back including Bo Peep (Annie Potts) who was mysteriously missing from Toy Story 3 and now has a fresh look & attitude, and Mr. Potato Head (the late Don Rickles) who was brought back to the screen using previously recorded voiceover work.



Without a doubt, Toy Story 4 is the funniest of the series, using that familiar brand of Disney humor we’ve come to love: parents will get the saucier of the jokes, the kids will love the slapstick visuals. While Tony Hale’s Forky character is memorable and fun, the clear standout performance from this incredible cast is Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom. Using a short but hilariously effective flashback sequence, we learn about Duke’s sad past as a less-than-spectacular action figure toy. His haunting back story with his French-Canadian kid “Rejean”, coupled with the syrupy-sweet rendition of the Canadian national anthem playing in the background add so many funny callback jokes – you don’t have to be a Canuck to find this performance knee-slappingly good.



The story swings nicely from adventure and action sequences to the heart-wrenchingly emotional storylines we’ve come to expect from the Toy Story films. Bring your tissues – you’ll need them for the tears of laughter and sweet story of friendship and love, and an ending that nobody will see coming.

INTERCOT got the chance to meet with the stars of Toy Story 4 during an exciting press conference at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts, Christina Hendricks and Tony Hale were on hand to answer questions, along with producers Jonas Rivera & Mark Nielson and director Josh Cooley.



Josh spoke about the theme of this newest installment of Toy Story. “If I could sum it up in one word, it would be transition. Every character in this movie has gone through a transition, is struggling with a transition, or has not gone through one… That’s how we approached it right from the beginning.”



We also got the inside scoop that the character Forky will be getting a new 10-episode series on the Disney+ streaming service called “Forky Asks A Question”. Tony Hale will be brought back to voice this silly little spork as he learns about the world around him.

And Forky isn’t done yet! So much new merchandise will be available soon including Forky costumes, toys and more. Duke Caboom toys and Pop Funko figures are also sure to be a hit, but the neatest toys we saw were the Woody & Buzz “Someone’s Coming” dolls from Thinkway Toys. These dolls talk and move, but when you shout SOMEONE’S COMING they stop moving, look straight ahead and collapse to the floor! I know a bunch of people who’d love to have these!




All of the actors spoke so highly of what it was like to be a part of such an iconic series of films spanning a quarter of a century. Tom Hanks reflected on how incredible it is to see Toy Story Land now in Hollywood Studios. “All of these movies exist because they were willed into existence by the audience that were willing to invest in it… and by the people at Pixar, who do not take their responsibilities lightly when it comes down to Toy Story. They have to be able to reach a level of gravitas, or import or connection. And that land over there is an example of that as well. They could have banged one of those [lands] out pretty quickly… but this is now a thing because [the characters] are not just iconographic images, they’re actually emotional beats that people carry with them. And it’s only because these movies have been so important.”

Toy Story 4 opens in theatres June 21st, 2019. For more photos & videos from this incredible press event weekend, be sure to check out the INTERCOT Facebook and Instagram feeds.