Catching up on some new pieces of Toy Story 4 info that have come out since the trailer’s release on Tuesday, we’ve got some added details on the new characters that have been introduced so far, and some final cover art for several of the books tied to the movie’s release.
New Characters
Following the trailer and the official announcement of Duke Caboom, Gabby Gabby, and Giggle McDimples, both People and Entertainment Weekly magazines published online features with more details on these new faces and their voices. Although I’ve already shared some remarks from the filmmakers, this time the actors themselves spoke about their roles, and director Josh Cooley offered more insight as well.
Keanu Reeves’ character, Duke Caboom – a stunt performer who has heretofore been unable to complete any of the stunts he’s famous for – has been the subject of much speculation. Reeves discussed Duke’s role in the story:
“He’s the greatest stuntman in Canada! Duke becomes an important part of [Woody and Bo’s] mission. They use his skills as a motorcycle daredevil, but what they ask him to do confronts his fear of failure. So he has to kind of face his fear in order to help the greater good.”
He also had some great remarks about the franchise in general:
“There’s so much fun and humor and adventure in the stories, and they have these kind of classical motifs of resurrection, healing, surviving at all odds, compassion, working together. But also dealing with individuality and respecting individuality, which are all really important things to speak about, especially in children’s storytelling, but really in any kind of storytelling.”
Cooley talked a bit about Reeves’ casting and role in developing the character:
“I didn’t know Keanu was Canadian, and I did not know that he had a motorcycle company, until after we cast him. We always had this character, who was always this bravado Canadian stuntman, and in my head, I had this one [idea] of how it would be performed, but then we met with Keanu and before he even signed on, he wanted to have lunch. And once he came to the table, he started asking all these great questions and doing different voices and actually jumped up on the table in the middle of Pixar to act out the character and his great ideas that we didn’t have in there originally. It was really incredible. Keanu really did help craft that character in a huge, huge way.”
I wish we’d gotten to see more of Duke in the trailer. It sounds like he’s going to be a lot of fun!
Gabby Gabby is a 1950s pullstring doll, voiced by Christina Hendricks. Shown in the trailer as the villain of the film, she’s aided in her plans by an army of ventriloquist-dummy henchmen. Here’s Hendricks’ take on her character:
“My character Gabby Gabby is a baby doll who was sadly made with a broken voice box. Because of this defect, she has never known the love of a child or been able to fulfill her destiny to love one back. She has spent her whole life in an antique store looking out at the real world.”
Officer Giggle McDimples was inspired by 1980s Polly Pocket toys, and at one inch tall is the smallest toy in the Toy Story family. I love Ally Maki’s enthusiasm for her role, and here’s what she had to say about Giggle:
“She’s so small she could literally get stuck in the bottom of a tennis shoe! As Bo’s feisty, full of life and brutally honest BFF and partner in crime, you can always find Giggle on Bo’s shoulder, unapologetically ready to speak her mind. She’s pretty much a mega boss.”
Director Josh Cooley expanded on the character:
“Since we haven’t seen Bo in years, we wanted to show that she has a network of toys she’s been hanging out with and hasn’t been by herself just sitting around waiting for Woody. She’s off living her life and Giggle McDimples is somebody she’s come across in her travels who has become her best friend.” Cooley describes Giggle as a Jiminy Cricket type — “so small that she can just bounce into the frame wherever we want, up onto Bo’s shoulder, and they can have a little bit of an angel-devil-on-the-shoulder kind of conversation where Giggle can say whatever she wants and you get the sense that Bo either agrees with her or doesn’t, but they can nevertheless have this private conversation at all times.”
I’m really looking forward to meeting Giggle and seeing what sort of blunt remarks she has to say to (or about) Bo. I’m thinking this could reveal some things that Bo wouldn’t admit to on her own.
Entertainment Weekly’s article says that Grand Basin is “a sleepy little town upstate.” So the Andersons must not be traveling that terribly far to their destination. They also refer to the adventure as Woody’s “unexpected solo vacation.”
We still have more characters to learn about – like Combat Carl, who has been seen in merchandise leaks – so hopefully news about them will be coming soon!
New Books
Several book covers have been updated on the Penguin Random House website. All of these will be released on May 7.
Toy Story 4 Movie Storybook (Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4)
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.
Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book (Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4)
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!
Made to Play! (Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4)
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.
Bonnie’s First Day of School (Disney/Pixar Toy Story 4)
An exciting full-color storybook with stickers and cardstock press-out 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.
Honestly, I’m getting even more worried about the original gang, after seeing these covers. The artwork is gorgeous, but there are MANY familiar friends missing here. Hope it’s just a matter of being concise in the illustrations, and doesn’t indicate that the movie will feature only those shown.
Hopefully we’ll have even more pieces to the puzzle soon. I’ll be keeping an eye out for Toy Story 4 news, so stay tuned!
Character images © Disney/Pixar. Celebrity images sourced from the People article. Book covers © Disney Publishing.
Toy Story Fangirl 