TOY STORY 4

Woody and Buzz are back – along with a talking spork having an existential crisis

Wasn’t meant to be the end

1 With andy going to college and the toys finding a new home with bonnie, Toy story 3’s ending felt like the perfect finale. but Pixar didn’t see it that way. “[Writer] andrew stanton was adamant that it was never intended to be the end,” producer Jonas Rivera tells Red Alert. “It’s just the ending of a movie. What really unlocked it [for us] was the truthful observation that it’s the ending of andy’s story, but andy, as important as he is, was always the external story. the real internal story is Woody.”

WOODY’S NO LONGER TOP DOG

2 While affable cowboy Woody was always de facto leader among andy’s toys, things are different in bonnie’s room, where dolly rules the roost. “We liked the idea that it’s a merger and it’s a little bumpy,” explains Rivera. “I think being just another toy is a big thing for Woody to deal with. he knows deep down it’s not okay that he’s been benched. We really are challenging him – we’ve never really seen him have that problem before.”

A NEW TOY IS RUBBISH. LITERALLY

3 Toy story 4 bends the rules of the series by giving life to repurposed rubbish, after bonnie puts a face and pipecleaner arms on a spork. Unfortunately, Forky (voiced by Arrested Development/Veep’s tony hale) can’t quite get to grips with his new toy status. “We thought, ‘Can we do that? What are the rules?’” Rivera admits. “having him in the movie felt like a way to amplify the ‘toy truth’ of this world. he actually puts them in danger because he could just walk across the street [in front of people] – that felt like extra fun pressure to add and he became more than a gag.”

BO PEEP IS BACK!

4 Woody’s love interest was an aWoL lost toy in Toy story 3, but when he runs into her in part four, he finds she’s embracing being an independent toy. “In Toy story 3 she was a bit of a casualty and a reminder that time does march on,” Rivera says. “obviously losing her would have been something that haunted Woody. but when we started to crack this story it was like this was an opportunity to use it to our advantage and to really show what happens to someone [after they’ve left].”

THIS IS IMPROVISED ANIMATION

5 new characters bunny and ducky, a pair of sewn-together fairground prizes, are voiced by Us director Jordan Peele and comedy partner Keegan-michael Key. the writers gave them a rough idea about their scenes and let them do the rest. “I’ve never seen someone be as skilled at improv,” Rivera says. “In animation it’s really hard to make it sound and feel as if it’s just coming off the tip of your tongue, but here it literally just free-flows from them.” RE

Toy story 4 is in cinemas from 21 June.