While some fans were disappointed in the amount of screen time their favorites characters received in last summer’s hit animated movie Toy Story 4, one character rose to the top in popularity: Forky. Voiced by Tony Hale, Forky was once considered trash before Bonnie created him as her new toy in kindergarten.
Now, the pointy one with curves in all the right places is getting his own road to stardom with a new series of short films for the new streaming service Disney+.
Understandably, a toy who was just a piece of trash only days before has a few questions about life and he talks about them in Forky Asks A Question. We’re talking deep, philosophical questions like, what is love, what is time, and what is cheese?
Known to many adults as the star from Arrested Development and Veep, Hale sat down to chat about this new project on Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday morning. Like his plastic counterpart, Hale has been a bit surprised by his character’s popularity.
“I think I was just as overwhelmed as Forky was,” Hale told TODAY in an interview recorded in October. “I remember during the press tour we went to Orlando, and it was, like, Keanu Reeves, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and me. And Annie Potts. And you’re like, which one of these things is not like the other? This one.”
As it turns out, Forky is not the only one with anxieties.
“I myself have struggled with anxiety for a long time,” Hale shared. “And I think with anxiety, it can feel overwhelming, you know? Where your life gets overwhelming, the chaos in the world.
You’re just like, what the heck is goin’ on? And many times, you want to stand up and just go, ‘What the hell’s goin’ on? What’s happening here?’ And I feel like Forky does that. He stands up and he’s like, ‘Can somebody fill me in? What’s going on? Why am I here? And what’s goin’ on?’ And there’s something about him kinda maybe voicing maybe what everybody’s thinking.”
Written and directed by Bob Peterson (known for his work on Pixar’s other films Finding Nemo and Up) all of Forky’s most pressing questions will be answered within the collection of 10 shorts which also features a few other favorite Toy Story friends.
Here is our review of the series, with recommendations on who should enjoy watching it.
Forky Asks A Question is currently streaming on Disney+