Toy Story 4 Trailer Features The Beach Boys And Keanu Reeves' Canadian Doll
As wild as the headline of this article sounds, it's all completely true: the official trailer for Toy Story 4 does include a tune by the Beach Boys that will probably (definitely) make you cry and introduces Keanu Reeves as the voice of a Canadian doll Duke Caboom.
Disney-Pixar dropped the fresh footage on Tuesday and treated the world to a candy-colored look at the newest installment in the storied (sorry, we had to) Toy Story franchise. Those who grew up on the adventures of the rootin', tootin', snake-in-his-bootin' cowboy Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) and the charismatic Space Ranger superhero Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are in for a brand-new kind of tale with Toy Story 4, as the toys are no longer part of Andy's collection. As the events of Toy Story 3 detailed, Andy is a grown-up now, and he gifted his toys to his young neighbor Bonnie. The little girl takes as much care of the group of toys — which also includes Joan Cusack as Jessie, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, Jodi Benson as Barbie, Michael Keaton as Ken, and the iconic John Ratzenberger as Hamm — as best she can. But she's still just a rambunctious tot — which raises red flags when she creates a new toy out of classroom craft supplies and brings him home to join the others.
His name is Forky (Tony Hale), and he's a actually a spork with googly eyes and pipe-cleaner arms. He proclaims himself as a utensil for soups and salads and not a toy, and reveals that he legitimately wants to be thrown away. But Woody is having none of it, venturing to teach Forky how great being a toy really is and vowing to protect him from harm when he realizes that he's quickly become Bonnie's favorite pal. The fun (and potential danger) kicks into overdrive when Bonnie takes the crew on a road trip with her family, where Woody ends up embarking on an unexpected detour. Forky's left to fend for himself while Woody has all sorts of encounters with cool new toys — like the carnival toys Ducky and Bunny (voiced by Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key) — and reunites with his long-lost girlfriend Bo Peep (Annie Potts).
Woody will make another friend in the stuntman with a need for speed and a sah-weet handlebar mustache, one mister Duke Caboom. Reeves, who was raised in Toronto, lends his pipes to the Canadian character, an action figure who "comes from a place where discontinued toys are sent." He rides a motorcycle fit with a maple leaf on the front, which is super cool, eh?
Toy Story 4 producer Jonas Rivera said of Reeves' role in the film, "The first time [director] Josh [Cooley] and I talked with Keanu about the role, Keanu became Duke Caboom. Keanu was asking great questions that dug deep to find the soul of the character. At one point he stood up on the table in the middle of Pixar's atrium and struck poses while proclaiming victory. It was so funny. It's all in the movie and it's all Keanu."
The trailer also reveals that Woody has a run-in with a pack of ventriloquist dummies in an antique shop — the residence of the film's not-so-big big bad. Voiced by Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks, the creepy toy villain is named Gabby Gabby, a '50s-era pull-strong doll who leads her legion of perma-smiling dolls to attack Woody. In the trailer, Bo Peep pops up in a surprise appearance and knocks Gabby Gabby down, and the pair make a run for it.
Elsewhere in Toy Story 4, Woody meets Bo Peep's new sidekick Officer Giggle McDimples, the pint-sized police officer voiced by Ally Maki.
Sounds like a fun-loving, family-friendly entry into the Toy Story canon that kiddos will certainly love — but the moment that the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" kicks in turns Toy Story 4 into a tearjerker as well. While the sentimentality will likely slip over youngsters' heads, it will inspire plenty of waterworks in older viewers. And really, what Disney movie doesn't?
Toy Story 4 is due out in theaters on June 21. Until then, check out the trailer above and the latest poster for the film below.
