‘Toy Story 4’: Your Guide to Who’s Voicing Who and a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Movie

Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear)

Buzz Lightyear is loyal not only to his owner, but to the friends he’s made along the way — especially his once-rival Woody, who’s like a brother to the ace Space Ranger these days. Buzz would do anything to support his pull-string buddy, but when his efforts land him in a carnival game booth as an inadvertent prize, he turns to his inner voice for guidance. Says producer Jonas Rivera, “Toy Story 4 is an internal story in a lot of ways, often asking, ‘What is your gut telling you?’ So, we thought we could play Buzz’s buttons that way. For the rest of us, those buttons are just a toy mechanism with recorded phrases. To him, it’s like a Magic 8-Ball every time he hits a button.”

Tim Allen returns as the voice of Buzz. “The way Tim leaned into this idea of Buzz listening to his inner voice was really funny,” says Rivera. “The way he approached it made it feel real. Buzz gives the story great drive.”

Woody and Buzz’s friendship has come a long way. According to Allen, the new story takes their unlikely bond even further. “Buzz wants Woody to do the right thing — but sometimes doing the right thing is really, really hard to do,” says Allen. “Loyalty is fundamental to Buzz and this story takes loyalty to a new level.”

“Buzz sees that Woody needs to make a change,” adds director Josh Cooley. “He wants to be supportive and help him out, but his efforts land him in the hands of a carny and placed into a game booth as a prize.”

Toy Story is rooted in that key friendship. Says producer Mark Nielsen, “The relationship between Woody and Buzz is core to the Toy Story films. It starts off a little rocky in the first film, but a friendship is born. And that builds over the years and through the films. They trust each other, understand each other and support each other. It’s such a critical relationship in the series and, in Toy Story 4, we take it to an even deeper level.”

Jodi Benson (Barbie)

Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, reprises the role of Barbie, though we’re not really sure which Barbie she is. As she had explained in an interview with aintitcool, “The one in Toy Story 2 is ‘Tour Guide Barbie,’ so she has a character, she has a job and she had a uniform. She had a strong position to play. She was playing her role. [Toy Story 3] was not a title Barbie, just a Barbie, so it was a whole different thing. In fact, when they invited me to be a part of Toy Story 3, my first question was, ‘Which Barbie is it? Is it like a nurse? Is she a business person?’ They were, like, ‘No, she is not a character, she’s going to just be a Barbie.’ And that was wonderful to just be able to play her real.”

Blake Clark (Slinky Dog)

Blake Clark replaced the late Jim Varney as Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3, and reprises the role in the new film. Both actors had actually been friends, and his performance is a lovely tribute to Jim, nicely carrying on the tradition.

Joan Cusack (Jessie)

Joan Cusack is happy to be reprising the role of cowgirl Jessie in Toy Story 4. Previously she had reflected to the aint-it-cool-news website regarding the franchise, “It blew my doors off when I saw Toy Story. I never had seen anything like it, ever. I just couldn’t believe it and I know that I had never done any kind of animation before, so the process of doing it was just totally new for me. And kind of cool, because I had never really done voice work and my sister sang, so I knew she had done a lot of that kind of stuff. It was just a neat kind of acting chop that was different than other stuff.”

Timothy Dalton (Mr. Pricklepants)

Introduced in Toy Story 3 was Mr. Pricklepants, a thespian Hedgehog who is oh-so-serious. Voicing him then, and now in the new film, is Timothy Dalton, the former James Bond and star of Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, among many other roles.

Jeff Garlin (Buttercup)

You probably know Jeff Garlin best as Murray Goldberg on ABC’s The Goldbergs, who has a penchant for calling his kids morons. In the Toy Story films he’s a toy unicorn named Buttercup. He’s one of Bonnie’s original toys that are joined by the gang given to her by Andy.

Tony Hale (Forky)

In Toy Story 4, when Bonnie finds herself all alone during kindergarten orientation, Woody just has to help — even if it means digging through a trash can to retrieve a few art supplies for his kid. The effort is a resounding success, but when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky, declares himself trash and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Says Producer Mark Nelson, “Forky is like a newborn. He doesn’t know anything about life — he doesn’t even understand why he’s alive or what a toy even is. He makes Woody vocalize what it means to be a toy, what it means to be needed.”

Adds producer Jonas Rivera, “We loved the idea of Forky. He’s like an infant. He doesn’t understand the rules of the world, so he doesn’t play by the rules, which really makes the story feel fun and new. But it makes life hard for Woody, who’s just trying to help Forky understand the importance of his kid.”

When it came to animating the character, everyone realized that less was more. Says supervising animator Scott Clark, “We wanted to limit his movement, especially in the beginning, because he’s still developing. He wobbles around, because his feet stick out of a clay base and aren’t even level. His arms aren’t fully articulated — they’re pipe cleaners — and he has googly eyes that don’t really focus. We could animate them blinking and looking, but we chose to treat him more like a puppet with no eye articulation. His mouth is made out of waxy string, so its animation is a little sticky — it feels like stop motion.

“Forky,” he continues, “exemplifies the first rule I learned when I stepped in the door at Pixar in 1996. Truth to material is all about respecting what your character is made out of and not over-animating it. If you work within the limitations of a material, the animation choices tend to be better and funnier, particularly for a character like Forky.”

Actor Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), said of the character to Business Insider, “He doesn’t understand the rules of the universe. People say Bo Peep and he’s like, ‘What’s a Bo?’ So it was fun. He’s like a child asking all these wonderful questions that everyone is thinking and he’s just asking them. I just love that because of his newness he doesn’t have the filter that society puts on someone. He’s incredibly non-judgmental. He comes from the trash and Woody says, ‘You’re more than trash.’ That he has purpose. It’s a beautiful message the movie has. And it’s funny for me because in Veep, Selina Meyer is supposed to be Gary’s guide and Woody is the opposite. Woody is the guide that Gary on Veep needed.”

Tom Hanks (Woody)

Peter “Pete” Docter, chief creative officer for Pixar who also served as supervising animator on the first Toy Story film, explains, “As we wrote the film, for a while we thought of it as a twin protagonist story. Most kids relate to Buzz, which is funny, because Buzz is basically deluded. I’m not sure what that says about kids, but in the end the film is really Wood’s journey, dealing with his own jealousy and how that gets in the way of truly being there for his child. Woody became a very deep, multifaceted character, who has continued to surprise us by bringing emotional depth to four films. Most characters — having been created for just one film — tend to run out of steam at some point. I think Woody continued to be a rich mine of emotion, because he’s basically echoing our own lives. The Toy Story films are about toys, but they’re really about us.”

When it comes specifically to Woody, screenwriter Andrew Stanton says, “He’s basically going through the toy equivalent of empty-nest syndrome. It’s not that he doesn’t have a kid, but his role has completely changed. Woody’s trying to use his old ways of solving new problems.”

Adds producer Mark Nielsen, “Woody has gone through so much in the first three movies. We’ve seen him evolve and learn, but we couldn’t repeat any of those lessons, because he’s already learned them. We wanted him to face something new.”

Story supervisor Valerie LaPointe comments, “Woody is trying to find his place in Bonnie’s room. He realizes she’s uncomfortable about going to kindergarten and he jumps at the opportunity to help her, which ultimately leads him to adopt a new set of self-imposed responsibilities when Bonnie creates Forky. Woody is himself searching for his role in a new room with a new kid. Forky’s purpose in the story may be to keep Bonnie happy, but his purpose for us was to shine a light on what Woody is going through.”

Tom Hanks says each film in the series has taken Woody to surprising new places: “We’ve been through profound examinations of community, of family, of growing older and finding new purpose. And this one ends up being just as profound and new as the previous movies. They’re all toys. As long as they don’t break, they can live forever.”

Estelle Harris (Mrs. Potato Head)

Estelle Harris, beloved for her portrayal of George Constanza’s mother on Seinfeld, returns to Toy Story 4 for her fourth turn as Mrs. Potato Head.

Christina Hendricks (Gabby Gabby)

Gabby Gabby is an adorable, talking pull-string doll from the 1950s. But unfortunately for her, a manufacturing defect in her pull-string voice box has left her sounding anything but adorable. She has spent more than 60 years forgotten in the depths of a jam-packed antique store — her only companions are a band of voiceless ventriloquist dummies. Gabby Gabby knows someone will want her if only she can find a working voice box to repair hers.

Woody is more than a little wary of Gabby, but it may be that she’s just misunderstood. Says screenwriter Stephany Folsom, “Gabby Gabby and Woody have the exact same philosophy, which is to be there for your kid no matter what. But unlike Woody, Gabby’s never actually had that experience, so she clings to the fantasy of what it would be like to be with a kid.”

Gabby Gabby is voiced by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, Good Girls). “It became obvious right away that Christina was the perfect actress to play Gabby Gabby,” says director Josh Cooley. “She has the ability to sound inviting and friendly, then subtly become cold and terrifying in just a few words. It still gives me chills when I see Gabby’s introduction in the film.”

The character’s bond with antique store ventriloquist dolls triggered an instant connection for Hendricks. “As a child I always wanted a ventriloquist doll, and my parents would never get me one,” she says. “So, later in life my husband finally got me my ventriloquist doll, and it is in my office, and I love him so very much. So, when I came in to do the voice of Gabby, they showed me some of the animation, and I said, ‘This is blowing my mind! This little doll has red hair and blue eyes and hangs out with weird ventriloquist dolls — it’s like she is me.’ Maybe I am misunderstood, too.”

Bonnie Hunt (Dolly)

Writer/comedian/actress Bonnie Hunt returns as Dolly, a character Pixar describes as follows: “Dolly is a soft and sweet dress-up rag doll, and is the perfect gift for any young child! Her floppy body and sunny smile will make her an irresistible new member of your family. Dolly has purple hair, googly eyes, and gently blushing cheeks. She comes with a pretty blue dress, but templates are included to create and sew your own outfits! Machine washable on gentle cycle.”

Ally Maki (Giggle McDimples)

Giggle McDimples is a miniature plastic doll from the 1980s’ Giggle McDimples toy line. As a toy, Officer Giggle McDimples is head of Pet Patrol for Mini-opolis, overseeing search and rescue. But out in the world, Giggle is Bo Peep’s best friend. Small enough to perch on Bo’s shoulder, Giggle is Bo’s confidant, supporter and advisor. “Giggle is Bo’s Jiminy Cricket — we’re able to get insight on Bo through their relationship together,” says director Josh Cooley. “Giggle is definitely the smallest toy in the Toy Story universe. She’s been stepped on, vacuumed up, and probably put up a kid’s nose in her time.”

Adds story supervisor Valerie LaPointe, “Giggle comes with her own patrol station with a little car inside, but she travels around with Bo in a Skunkmobile — a motorized toy vehicle they’ve disguised as a skunk to trick people into steering clear of them.”

Ally Maki voices the tiny character. “Giggle McDimples literally pops on the screen because of Ally’s personality and infectious energy,” says Josh. “Nobody can laugh like Ally Maki.”

“I have two older brothers — I’m the only girl, and I’m the youngest,” says Ally. “I spent most of my childhood getting noogies and hockey pucks shot at me. I think I bring a lot of that little-sister energy to the role. Giggle was really fun to play.”

According to directing animator Aaron J. Hartline, Giggle’s size influenced their approach to her animation. “The way we animate her has to be very specific and unique,” he says. “She’s so small with such a big personality that we have to bounce her around like a flea — she snaps into poses.”

Madeleine McGraw (Bonnie)

Bonnie, of course, is the new Andy in the franchise, having been introduced at the end of Toy Story 3 and is the new kid the toys are determined to help in any way they can. Voicing Bonnie is Madeleine McGraw, who played the young Hope Pym in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Other credits include Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Curse of La Llorona.

Keegan-Michael Key (Ducky)

Ducky and Bunny are carnival prizes who are eager to be won. But when their plans are rudely interrupted, they find themselves on an unexpected adventure with a group of toys who have no idea what it feels like to be tacked to a prize wall. According to screenwriter Andrew Stanton, Ducky and Bunny are the perfect contrast to Woody and Buzz, who’ve always had a kid. “If you think about it, a carnival has the cheapest, saddest, most disposable toys known to man,” he says.

“Ducky and Bunny bring a new level of fun to the ‘Toy Story’ universe,” adds producer Mark Nielsen. “Their view of the world has been very singular as they go from town to town in the same booth, staring out at the world. They have no moral compass because they’ve watched kid after kid spend money on a game that’s unwinnable by design. Not only are they learning bad things about human nature, they’re trapped because of it.”

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele lend their voices to Ducky and Bunny, who proved to be a surprise addition to their resumes. “Of all the characters that I could imagine, this was not one of them,” says Keegan-Michael. “Remember that time when you were 23 and you’re like, ‘You know, what I want to do more than anything is play a plush fluffy duck’? That one never came to mind. This was such a lovely surprise to be asked to do this movie. I don’t think they got the whole sentence out — I think Jordan and I both got vocal whiplash, we said yes so fast.”

John Morris (Andy Davis)

Bringing Andy Davis to vocal life again is John Morris, who has played the character in the three previous films as well. Outside of the Toy Story films, John hasn’t done much in the way of acting.

Jordan Peele (Bunny)

The other half of Ducky and Bunny (for the first half, scroll up to the section of Keegan-Michael Key) is Jordan Peele (the creative force behind the movies Get Out and Us, as well as the new reboot of The Twilight Zone). According to Jordan, the gig marked a reunion of sorts: “They wanted our real dynamic,” he points out. “A couple years had passed between when we had finished Key & Peele and began these recording sessions, so it felt like we were getting the band back together. We immediately began feeding off each other and improvising — and they totally encouraged that. It was inspiring and it was a relief to realize that we are the characters as opposed to us doing the characters.”

Says director Josh Cooley, “They are two of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever seen. Of course, they are effortlessly funny, which would be enough. But they are incredible actors that understand story. Their improvs weren’t just for comedy sake, they were story-motivated, which elevated Ducky and Bunny and the film to a level I never could have expected.”

Editor Axel Geddes says Key and Peele made life difficult for him on occasion. “We recorded them in the same room across from each other,” he says. “They give you so much gold that it can’t all fit in the movie.”

Jeff Pidgeon (Squeeze-Toy Aliens)

One of the of the most endearing of the toy characters from the very beginning has been the so-called “squeeze-toy aliens,” those green fellows who were introduced proclaiming the virtues of “The Claw!” in a crane machine. While Jeff Pidgeon is known for providing “additional voices” to Pixar characters, he works primarily in the animation department.

Annie Potts (Bo Peep)

Part of the plot of the new film has Woody, Forky and the rest of the gang accompanying Bonnie and her family on a road true. This leads to an unexpected reunion between Woody and Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Notes screenwriter Stephany Folsom, “She was part of a baby’s lamp in Andy’s sister’s room, so she was given away a long time ago. Life was different for Bo, but she didn’t just sit around. She’s strong and independent, and long ago decided to make the best of her situation, pick herself up by her bootstraps and stand on her own two porcelain feet.”

Adds producer Jonas Rivera, “To me, Bo is really the most important piece of the movie. If you were to run into Woody at the end of this movie and ask him, ‘What’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to you?,’ he would say that meeting Bo Peep for the second time is the biggest thing by far.”

States Tom Hanks, “Bo Peep is interesting, because she has made her peace. She’s wise, because she’s actually seen the way the world works. On one hand, it’s completely counter to what Woody is hip to, but at the same time Bo’s outlook is the embodiment of what Woody wants, which is to be played with by children, and to make their lives happier.”

Says Annie Potts, “Bo is everything that we want to be. She is independent and courageous and funny and smart and able to tackle it all on her own. Her life hasn’t been easy, but whose life is? She is an excellent model of making it in the face of adversity. Bo is not leading a conventional life right now. She’s, like, ‘I have an awesome life.’ Those people who bloom where they’re planted are always an inspiration.”

John Ratzenberger (Hamm)

John Ratzenberger (forever Cliff Clavin from Cheers) is back as Hamm, and as he shared with Awards Daily there is one thing about being part of the franchise that he really enjoys: “I started doing this a long time ago — calling kids who are down on their luck. I call them as Hamm and they get a call from him and I get such a kick out of it. I’ll ask the parents if they can record their end and some of these kids are so sweet. You’ll see how excited they get. ‘It’s Hammy!’ I started it years ago. I was at the airport. Someone stopped me and said they loved Hammy. I told them to get their kids on the phone and we called them. I just got such a kick out of it that I started offering it to charities. I think I have a better time than the kids do.”

Keanu Reeves (Duke Caboom)

Duke Caboom is a 1970s toy based on Canada’s greatest stuntman. Riding his powerful Caboom stunt-cycle, Duke is always prepared to show off his stunt poses with confidence and swagger. However, Woody learns quickly that Duke has an Achilles heel: He has never been able to do the awesome stunts advertised in his own toy commercial. For years, Duke has been sitting in an antique store, constantly reliving the failures of his tragic past.

Says writer Valerie LaPointe, “Duke Caboom is an action figure who was immediately rejected by his kid when he was opened on Christmas day, because he couldn’t do the jump exactly like the commercial.”

Duke Caboom is voiced by another great Canadian, Keanu Reeves. “The first time Josh [Cooley] and I talked with Keanu about the role, Keanu became Duke Caboom,” says producer Jonas Rivera. “Keanu was asking great questions that dug deep to find the soul of the character. At one point he stood up on the table in the middle of Pixar’s atrium and struck poses while proclaiming victory. It was so funny. It’s all in the movie, and it’s all Keanu.”

“Duke can’t help it,” says Keanu. “He’s a showman and a daredevil — he has to perform. It’s who he is. It was great to express my inner Duke Caboom.”

According to production designer Bob Pauley, Duke is always in “grip” mode. “It acknowledges the kind of toy he is,” says Pauley. “He’s only meant to be on the bike, so he doesn’t walk very well, which is funny.”

Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head)

Unfortunately comic great Don Rickles passed away before he could record his dialogue for Toy Story 4, but there’s no reason a little thing like death should prevent him from being a part of the proceedings. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director Josh Cooley noted, “Of course we loved Don, obviously, and after he passed, his family contacted us and asked if there was any way that we could create a performance using the recordings we had. We went through, jeez, 25 years of everything we didn’t use for Toy Story 1, 2, 3, the theme parks, the ice capades, the video games — everything that he’s recorded for Mr. Potato Head. And we were able to do that. And so I’m very honored that they asked us to do that, and I’m very honored that he’s in the film. Nobody can replace him.”

Wallace Shawn (Rex)

Wallace Shawn, currently playing Annie Potts’ love interest on Young Sheldon, is back in the role of the neurotic Rex. On being part of a beloved franchise like this one, the actor told Collider, “It’s much nicer, I’m sure, than being a part of a hated franchise. I’m sure that would be quite painful. What can I say? I’m very happy when they call me and say, ‘We’re gonna do something else.’ I crawl out of my tragic cave and do something that’s highly amusing for me to do. It’s very nice to think that I’m providing some relief, soothing the suffering of some people out there who get a moment of pleasure from watching the film. It’s great!”

Carl Weathers (Combat Carl)

With all due respect, Carl Weathers, we will always remember you as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films (and your enduring memory in the Creed spinoffs). But that being said, he made such a great impression in the short Toy Story of Terror that’s he’s back as Combat Carl in Toy Story 4. In an interview with Collider he enthused, “The Toy Story franchise is such a wonderful franchise and great family entertainment, and it’s such great storytelling. I loved this, because all the characters have such well-drawn and well-defined characterization. You know who they are. But even more importantly, it’s such fun. If you could throw yourself back to when you were a child, and you got a chance to sit and watch [Toy Story of Terror] in the evening, in your living room or on your computer, or wherever kids can watch stuff nowadays, and you turn the lights off, this might actually scare you, but in a fun way. I thought it was just so well done, and I was just so happy to work with the really talented people who were involved with this.”