Tim Allen has revealed that Keanu Reeves voices a new character in Toy Story 4. It was the original Toy Story movie that kicked off Pixar's run of beloved computer animated films all the way back in 1995, and took home three Oscar nominations for its efforts. The animation studio has grown by leaps and bounds since then, as has the Toy Story property itself. Pixar's franchise now encompasses no less than three critically-acclaimed films, a handful of made for TV specials, video game tie-ins, and everything in-between.
Up next is Toy Story 4, a project that Pixar officially announced back in 2014. A good deal has changed on the movie since then, between original director John Lasseter stepping down and the studio tossing out most of the initial Toy Story 4 script draft following his departure. The film is now being helmed by Inside Out cowriter Josh Cooley and follows Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the Toy Story gang on a road trip adventure that "will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy". Woody will be accompanied by friends old and new along the way, including a character voiced by John Wick himself.
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Allen revealed that Reeves plays a character in Toy Story 4 during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this week. He also provided a tease of what Reeves' character will sound like in the film:
"New guys in it that are great. Keanu Reeves has got a great part. Actually, little inside story, even he said (gentle, wonderful guy that he is) 'This sounds too much like Buzz Lightyear.' And his character does have an edge to that."
Reeves is but the latest actor confirmed to be voicing a brand-new character in Toy Story 4. Other new additions in the film include Forky (Tony Hale), a spork-turned craft project who gains sentience after the toys' current owner, Bonnie, gives him a face and arms, but insists he isn't a real toy. Forky was formally introduced during the first Toy Story 4 teaser trailer that dropped online last week. That preview was quickly followed by the release of a second Toy Story 4 teaser that focused on two more newcomers in the film: carnival toys Ducky and Bunny, as voiced by Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele.
Even knowing little to nothing about who he's playing, Reeves is certainly a welcome addition to the Toy Story 4 cast. This will be the first major animated film role for the actor (not counting his performance in Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly and voice work on The Animatrix) and the rare family-friendly offering from Reeves, who has worked primarily on projects intended for mature audiences in recent years (like the John Wick series or The Neon Demon). Here's to hoping his role in Toy Story 4 is a significant one; or, at the very least, amounts to more than just a single-scene cameo.
MORE: Should We Be Worried About Toy Story 4?
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
