SPOILERS for Toy Story 4
It has been revealed that Toy Story 4 was made mainly out of the desire to bring Bo Peep back. The latest entry to the Toy Story series sees the return of popular characters like Woody and Buzz, but also introduces new characters like Keanu Reeves' Duke Caboom, Ducky, Bunny, and Forky. The film also sees the return of Bo Peep who was a love interest to Woody in the first two films, but was absent from the third.
Before the film was released, early reviews for Toy Story 4 were already praising the movie. Now that the film has actually been released, it has turned into another slam dunk for Disney/Pixar. Toy Story 4 has made a tremendous amount of money at the box office and has even scored the highest opening weekend for the Toy Story franchise. The movie will no doubt turn a profit, but Disney/Pixar may have not had this success if it wasn't for Bo Peep.
Our very own Rob Keyes got the opportunity to speak with director Josh Cooley who revealed that Bo Peep was the main reason Toy Story 4 was made in the first place. When asking if the original pitch for the movie revolved around a road-trip with a carnival setting, Cooley explained, "Not from the very beginning. From the very beginning the outline was about Bo Peep, and how we can bring her back into the picture, just to see kind of where she’s been as the seed of the idea. And then we realized that we could use her as a way to show Woody how big the world is. It was an opportunity to try and get out of the tri-county area, get out of the kid’s room, and see these characters out in the world – which we have seen as they go across town and everything but seeing Woody in the middle of nowhere, in nature, was pretty." You can check out more of our interview with Cooley and producer Mark Nielsen below:
In the first two movies, Bo wasn't actually wasn't Andy's toy, but rather his sister's. Bo got a big makeover for Toy Story 4, but her clothes weren't the only thing to change. Between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 4, Bo Peep's character completely changed and she is seen to be loving life as a lost toy. Annie Potts briefly touched upon Bo Peep's evolution in another interview with Keyes saying, "I think she’s a great example of what a modern woman can be".
Making Bo more than just the love interest in Toy Story 4 was a good move all around. Not only did it massively improve her character arc, but her story also gave Woody a purpose in life. Woody had been struggling to cope with not being Bonnie's favorite, but he seemed to be much happier at the end of the film traveling with Bo Peep and helping other toys find a home. Toy Story 4 probably wouldn't have been as well received if Bo Peep didn't return since Toy Story 3 had a near-perfect ending, but it is interesting to know that Bo was always meant to be at the center of the fourth film.