Toy Story Fangirl

Toy Story 4 news has been relatively quiet lately, but there have been a few small things in the past week worth sharing…

‘The Art of Toy Story 4’ Book Release Date

One of the most anticipated publications that comes with every Pixar movie is its “art of” book, which features exclusive concept art images and behind-the-scenes stories of the making of each film.  Toy Story 4 will be no different – Amazon is now listing The Art of Toy Story 4 to be released on May 7, 2019, along with many other titles tied into the sequel.  Here’s the description, as provided on the site:

With a story that’s spanned more than 20 years, the adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang have captured the hearts of millions.  The Art of Toy Story 4 invites readers to explore the next installment of Pixar’s beloved franchise through never-before-seen concept art, character studies, process animation, storyboards, colorscripts, and more.  Featuring exclusive interviews with the production team on the making of the film and insights into their creative vision, The Art of Toy Story 4 reveals the vivid imagination that brought this story to life.

This is a title I’ll definitely be buying!  I’ve perused my The Art of Toy Story 3 book more times than I can say – I actually have two copies of it, after the first was the victim of a coffee spill.  There is nothing like reading all the personal insights of the filmmakers, and seeing how the story progressed and the movie was made.  And with all the delays and complications this particular production faced, it will be an especially compelling read.

Book Updates

While we’re talking about books… although there haven’t been any new cover images provided for the previously-announced publications, some have gotten summaries on Amazon.  Here are the most notable ones:

• Toy Story: Toyography 
  (April 23, 2019) -Peek into Andy’s toy box with Toy Story: Toyography, an inside look at Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and all their friends.
  Andy may have passed his beloved toys on to a new friend, but he will always have his memories. All the special moments between Andy and his toys are captured in this personal scrapbook of his favorite fun times together with Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the gang.
  Toy Story: Toyography tells the story of Andy’s toys through his childhood notes about each beloved friend in a cherished memento that also reveals Woody’s and Buzz’s secret adventures that Andy could never know.
  On the surface, this scrapbook is a collection of Andy’s favorite childhood memories, packed with drawings from his youth, replica merchandise from the classic Woody’s Roundup TV show, Buzz Lightyear’s instruction manual, and much more fun stuff! But every page also holds a secret with added notes from Woody and Buzz that can only be revealed if you know how to look.
  Relive the stories with this unique peek into the world of Andy’s first playmates. Toy Story: Toyography is like having two scrapbooks in one, with Andy’s memories of his toys and the toys’ memories of their adventures in the Toy Story films.
• Toy Story 4: The Deluxe Junior Novelization and Toy Story 4: The Junior Novelization
  (May 7, 2019) – Toy Story 4: The Junior Novelization [or The Deluxe Junior Novelization] retells the exciting new Disney/Pixar movie hitting theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Directed by Josh Cooley (Riley’s First Date?) and produced by Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer for Inside Out), Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, 2019.
• Toy Story 4 Deluxe Pictureback
  (May 7, 2019) – An exciting full-color storybook with stickers and cards featuring characters from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4, which hits theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Directed by Josh Cooley (Riley’s First Date?) and produced by Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer for Inside Out), Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, 2019.
• Toy Story 4 Movie Storybook
  (May 7, 2019) – This Toy Story 4 movie storybook retells the exciting new Disney/Pixar movie hitting theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Directed by Josh Cooley (Riley’s First Date?) and produced by Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer for Inside Out), Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, 2019.
• Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4: Movie Storybook / Libro basado en la película (English-Spanish)
  (May 7, 2019) – Travel to infinity and beyond in this bilingual English-Spanish retelling of the new Disney/Pixar film, Toy Story 4, which will hit theaters on June 21, 2019!
  Join Disney’s Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and all their friends as they embark on a brand-new adventure in Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4, starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
  Bring the fun of this new Disney/Pixar movie home with you with this bilingual storybook.
  With easy-to-follow text in both English and Spanish, a vocabulary list, discussion questions, and stills from the film, this storybook is perfect for language learners and fans of this brand-new Disney movie.
• Toy Story 4 Deluxe Step Into Reading 
  (May 7, 2019) – This Toy Story 4 deluxe Step into Reading with over 30 stickers is based on the exciting new Disney/Pixar movie hitting theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Directed by Josh Cooley (Riley’s First Date?) and produced by Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer for Inside Out), Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, 2019. Step 2 readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. For children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.
• Toy Story 4 Deluxe Step Into Reading #2
  (May 7, 2019) – This Toy Story 4 deluxe Step into Reading leveled reader with over 30 stickers is based on the exciting new Disney/Pixar movie hitting theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. Directed by Josh Cooley (Riley’s First Date?) and produced by Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer for Inside Out), Toy Story 4 opens in theaters on June 21, 2019. Step 1 readers feature big type and easy words. Rhymes and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story. For children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading on their own.
  
• Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book
  (May 7, 2019) – This Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book retells the exciting new Disney/Pixar movie, which will hit theaters June 21, 2019!
  Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 opens a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Toy Story gang. This Little Golden Book is based on the upcoming feature film, Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4, which releases on June 21, 2019. It is perfect for boys and girls ages 2 to 5, as well as Disney Little Golden Book collectors of all ages!
• Toy Story 4: The Official Movie Special
  (June 25, 2019) – An in-depth behind-the-scenes companion book chronicling Toy Story 4.  Features interviews with the cast and crew plus everything you want to know about the latest installment in the Toy Story franchise that has entertained children and adults alike for many years.

While most of these are retellings, with very similar synopses, the Step Into Reading titles seem to be original stories – which fits with the early-reader books that were published with Toy Story 3.  And although the Toyography book doesn’t appear to relate directly to Toy Story 4, it does look like it will be something fans and collectors of the series will enjoy.  Thinking back to all the publications that were in stores with the previous sequel, we could potentially get a few more book titles before (or shortly after) the movie’s release.

Bonnie Hunt on ‘The Talk’

Bonnie Hunt, who joined the Toy Story cast as Dolly in Toy Story 3, made an appearance on The Talk last Thursday.

We have to ask about Toy Story 4.  And you, of course, are the voice of the character Dolly.  What can you tease for us, if anything?

I know that some of the actors – I haven’t shot my last scene yet – but some of the actors that have shot their last scenes, you know, Tom Hanks…  some of the guys said – the grown men that were filming those last scenes – got emotional filming them.

Although she really didn’t have anything new to say about the movie – everyone knows Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have gotten emotional recording; that’s been reported countless times over the past few months – it is nice to know that Dolly will be making a return appearance.  What we don’t know is whether Dolly will be staying behind in Bonnie’s room, or if she’ll be along for the journey.  It’s also interesting that Hunt hasn’t recorded her final scene yet – which makes me wonder still about the finality of what Hanks and Allen have recorded, and whether there’s more to the story than even they know.

… and Beyond!

Last year, on December 8, 2017, the first still images for Incredibles 2 was released.  Here we are on December 10, so I’m super hopeful that we’ll be seeing an update about Toy Story 4 in the near future.  The Incredibles 2 teaser trailer was released on November 18, 2017, and the Toy Story 4 trailers were released on November 12 and 13, so there’s definitely some similarity in timing there.  Right now, with awards nominations coming out, Incredibles 2 is still Pixar’s focus, but soon they’ll be making the shift to promote Toy Story 4.  You can be sure I’m keeping an eye out, and will share as soon as there’s something new!

Image of The Talk © CBS.  Book concept image © Disney/Pixar.