Toy Story saga, the studio surprised the audience with a fourth movie, simply titled Toy Story 4. Although there has been speculation about the possibility of a fifth Toy Story movie, Toy Story 4 is considered the ending of the franchise, and it’s quite perfect as such.
Toy Story 4 saw Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the toys going on a road trip with Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), who made a new toy: Forky (Tony Hale), a spork made with recycled materials. While Woody tried to show Forky his importance in Bonnie’s life, he reunited with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who showed him a very different but intriguing lifestyle. Among the returning characters in Toy Story 4 was Mr. Potato Head, and his appearance honored a franchise legend through a couple of tricks that are barely noticeable.
How Toy Story 4 Created Mr. Potato Head's Dialogue
Legendary comedian Don Rickles voiced Mr. Potato Head since the first Toy Story movie, and he was slated to reprise his role in Toy Story 4. Sadly, Rickles ed away in April 2017, before he could record any lines for the movie, but the team behind Toy Story 4 found a way to make him a part of the movie. According to director Josh Cooley (via Toy Story 3, theme parks, ice capades, and video games, pretty much anything Rickles could have recorded as Mr. Potato Head.
Cooley and his team succeeded in recovering lines recorded by Rickles as Mr. Potato Head that fitted the movie and the character’s role in it, which was significantly reduced. As a result, Mr. Potato Head only speaks a couple of times in very few scenes, but he was still part of the adventure. Toy Story 4 was dedicated to Rickles and animator Adam Burke, who ed away in October 2018.
Why No One Could Replace Don Rickles In Toy Story 4
Don Rickles was a legend in the world of comedy and became best known for his insult comedy. Rickles was a headline performer at Las Vegas hotel-casinos and had various comedic roles on TV. Rickles enjoyed another career boost when he voiced Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story, and his comedic style and voice were key to the character’s popularity. Mr. Potato Head is sarcastic and direct, coming off as rude sometimes, and he’s fiercely loyal to his friends and his wife, Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris). Rickles channeled that and more in his performance as Mr. Potato Head, making him irreplaceable, and Cooley and the rest were surely aware of that. Using old recordings of Don Rickles to form the dialogues for Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 4 turned the character’s role into a tribute to its actor’s legacy, adding to the already emotional ride that was Toy Story 4 and making it a perfect conclusion to the saga.
