Toy Story 4 Interview With Tom Hanks, Annie Potts & Tony Hale

I had so much fun at the Toy Story 4 press junket and am so excited to share that I got to interview the voices of your favorite characters. Tom Hanks, Annie Potts, Tony Hale and the filmmaking team opened up and discussed the movie, the characters and what it means to be a part of such an iconic series.

Toy Story 4 Is About Transition.

If Toy Story 4 had to be summarized in one word, it would be transition, according to director Josh Cooley.

“Every character in this movie has gone through a transition… Bo Peep has gone through a transition we learn about in the movie, Woody is struggling with moving from Andy’s room to Bonnie’s room, Forky doesn’t even want to transition at all” – Josh Cooley

Their friendships are real.

The actors have bonded quite a bit in the last twenty-five years of the Toy Story series. Tom Hanks (Woody) immediately smiled when he was asked about his friendship with Tim Allen (Buzz).

“We’ve actually become very close simply because of the union between Woody and Buzz… We began to have regular lunches… We sit down and talk for three and a half hours straight together and we do seek each other out in order to catch up on all aspects of our lives.”

Make sure to also check 10 things you must do at Toy Story Land.

Actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, stars of the Disney-Pixar film “Toy Story 4,” appear with Woody and Buzz Lightyear inside Toy Story Land. 2019. (Matt Stroshane, photographer)

He later did a very accurate impression of Tim Allen which made everyone crack up. When Hanks was asked about working with Annie Potts, it was obvious that Woody and Bo Peep were meant to reunite.

“Even separated by two microphones and two stands, the way Annie Potts will look at you… and when she says the words, “Oh Woody!” It gets you every time. You become a little jar of pudding when that happens” – Tom Hanks

Forky Is Here To Stay

Tony Hale as Forky is the utensil we never knew we needed. Luckily, we get to see more of him outside of Toy Story 4. Producer Mark Nielsen shared that Forky will have his own tv series soon. Forky Asks a Question will premiere on the new streaming service, Disney Plus.

“I love it because it’s these questions that maybe people are embarrassed to ask…and I [Forky] learn so much just from these simple questions that I probably should know.” – Tony Hale

There Are Lots of Easter Eggs

There are 20 Pixar feature films now with tons of Easter eggs. One of the new locations Woody and Buzz visit is the antique store. The filmmaking crew confirmed that there’s a lot to see there from other Pixar movies.

“If you pause any frame within the story you’ll see something in the background… from every movie Pixar has ever made there’s something in the antique store” – Josh Cooley and Mark Nielsen

Producer Jonas Rivera told us that if we look closely, we might even see Carl and Ellie’s house from Up!

Bo Peep is Back & Stronger Than Ever

Bo Peep at Toy Story Land (Matt Stroshane, photographer)

After being asked how she feels about Bo Peep’s comeback, Annie Potts simply said, “lovely.” She was happy Bo traded the shepherd dress for pantaloons and became a heroine with a major role.

“[Bo Peep’s] a new, improved, emboldened, courageous, seasoned gal. It’s been lovely.” – Annie Potts

This interview was an amazing look at the cast and crew’s relationship with each other and the series. It’s easy to see how much they love Toy Story 4, and they’re confident we will love it too.