Listen up DIY crafters, there’s a new DIY craft in town, and he’s ready to serve up laughs in Toy Story 4 in theaters June 21st. Meet Forky, a funny little fellow handcrafted by Bonnie, the recipient of Andy’s toys in Toy Story 3, from a spork (a combination fork and spoon), some pipe cleaners and googly eyes.
So how did this unlikely character make a move from disposable eating utensil to comedy star? “We were sitting in a story development meeting and we started talking about all the little craft projects our kids like to make,” says Director Josh Cooley. “We realized we had never had a plaything made by a child in the Toy Story films. We had to decide how Forky would react and decided that he would probably be confused and insecure. Basically, Forky’s whole purpose is to be used and thrown away. Suddenly, he’s a toy! What’s he going to do with that? He’s an outsider who doesn’t know the rules.”
That’s where Woody comes in. As the leader of the other toys, Woody has to teach Forky how to be a toy. And he has to get the other toys to accept Forky. “The first scene where Forky is introduced to the other toys is so funny,” Cooley says. “No one understands what Forky’s doing there—least of all Forky. Woody tries to explain and it’s hilarious. The animators nailed that scene!”
With Forky’s personality established, it was time to decide how he should look. “We pulled our entire crew together, put out piles of craft supplies and asked everyone to build their own version of Forky,” Cooley says. “Then we picked elements from the best of them.”
The next step was animating him. “We wanted his movements to be clumsy and jerky,” Cooley says. “That’s not something our animators usually do. But once the artists got what we were going for, they just jumped on it. There’s a lot of comedy in Forky’s movements. It’s a huge part of his charm.”
Actor Tony Hale brought his own unique talents to bringing Forky to life. “When we described Forky to Tony, his response was ‘Oh—insecure person. I can do that!’ We would record Tony first and then animate to his recordings. Forky became our gateway to a completely new path in Toy Story 4, Cooley concludes. “When the first trailer aired, we received so many comments from people who related to Forky—who said ‘This character is ME!’ Forky is so innocent and unaware. He’s just a lot of fun!”
See Forky and other favorite Toy Story pals when you use your Disney Rewards Redemption Card to redeem Disney Rewards Dollars toward Disney movie tickets at AMCTheatres.com or on the AMC Theatres Mobile App.1 Cardmembers can also bring home a toy box full of fun merchandise inspired by Toy Story 4 and save 10% on select purchases at Disney store and shopDisney.com.2
