JUST ‘4’ KICKS
Playtime at the movies as ‘Toy Story’ returns
There’s plenty of reason to get animated about “Toy Story 4.”
The latest movie in the beloved franchise features memorable new characters, a new owner for Woody, Buzz and the gang and a story line unlike that of any other “Toy Story.”
At the same time, it’s sure to feel like a trip down memory lane for audiences who grew up loving the Pixar series.
“Tom [Hanks] said something that I thought was so true … which is, ‘Whenever you watch one of these, you become the age that you were when you saw it first,’ ” Annie Potts, who returns as Bo Peep, told the Daily News. “I think that is going to be a generational loop, and they’re magnificent works of art so they have tremendous resonance, and everybody feels that.”
The movie, opening Friday, picks up where 2010’s “Toy Story 3” left off, with Woody [voiced by Hanks] and the rest of the toys now belonging to a little girl name Bonnie. When Bonnie makes a toy named Forky using a spork, pipe cleaners, Popsicle stick and googly eyes during her kindergarten orientation, Woody vows to keep Forky safe.
But Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, struggles to understand what it means to be a toy and longs to go back in the trash where he thinks used utensils belong.
“He’s kind of a blank slate,” Hale, 48, told The News. “I think my favorite thing about doing him is I was and continue to be overwhelmed by the fact that I’m even part of this movie,” said the actor, best known for his roles on “Arrested Development” and “Veep.”
“I think Forky is constantly overwhelmed, so we are very much alike that way. Not only is he simple in the way he sees things and how everything is new, he just asks so many questions. He doesn’t even know to be embarrassed about everything, he just asks all the time, which I love.”
Forky’s hesitation about becoming a toy causes him and Woody to become separated from the group, spurring an adventure. Along the way, they meet Gabby Gabby, a creepy doll in a carriage who has spent years inside an antique shop and covets Woody’s voice box because she believes it would make a child want to take her home.
Christina Hendricks, who voices Gabby Gabby, describes the character as “a little misunderstood,” but loved getting to put a terrifying twist on the kids’ toy.
“We tried different voices and different takes on the lines, and we decided the sweeter she was, the creepier it was,” Hendricks, 44, told The News. “So we just had fun playing around with the tone of it.”
While Hendricks and Hale are thrilled to be among the new additions to the franchise, Potts is happy to be back. The actress’ character was a key player in 1995’s original “Toy Story” and in its 1999 sequel, but did not appear in “Toy Story 3.”
Potts says returning as Bo Peep, a porcelain figurine with three pet sheep, is like getting back on a refurbished bicycle with “all kinds of bells and new whistles.” Her character boasts an impressive swagger and resourcefulness in “Toy Story 4” and is a driving force in the movie.
“Bo has transformed into quite a formidable woman,” Potts, 66, said.
“It’s great in these iconic movies to be that person and to be a role model for little girls and a cautionary tale for little boys,” she explains with a laugh.
Jordan Peele, KeeganMichael Key and Keanu Reeves are other newcomers in the star-studded cast, while Tim Allen, who voices Buzz Lightyear, returns for a fourth go-round as the plastic astronaut.
The first three “Toy Story” movies are among Pixar’s most popular flicks. Hendricks believes “Toy Story 4” will be a hit, too, and says the film is “heartwarming” and “quite emotional.”