“Toy Story 5” is continuing a movie saga that is thirty years old. Unfortunately, thirty years is a long time, and when a film series lasts that long, it’s very likely that not all the original actors will live to see the end of it. In the case of the “Toy Story” series, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head were originally voiced by Don Rickles and Estelle Harris, respectively. Both actors have now passed, so how did “Toy Story 5” find suitable replacements?
The New Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head in “Toy Story 5”
In a Reddit AMA with the “Toy Story 5” director Andrew Stanton, user “KyleRM” asked, “Can you say anything about the recasting of the potatoheads? How did you guys approach this, was there an audition process, did you already have specific people in mind you were confident could pull it off?” Stanton replied, “There were auditions for that, yes. We found two people that sounded very close to the original actors!”
So who are those people? Jeff Bergman will be playing Mr. Potato Head. Bergman is probably best known for voicing Bugs Bunny and various other “Loony Tunes” characters in many modern “Loony Tunes” productions. Mrs. Potato Head will be voiced by Anna Vocino. Her previous voice acting work includes several well-known video games such as The Last of Us: Part II, Psychonauts 2, and the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Don Rickles died in 2017. The most recent “Toy Story” movie, 2019’s “Toy Story 4” utilized archival recordings of Rickles’ voice for Mr. Potato Head. So, how well does Bergman impersonate Rickles’ distinctive voice? Well, in the “Toy Story 5” trailer that was recently released, Mr. Potato Head says, “It’s good to see them fighting again,” and Bergman sounds similar to Rickles for that line. However, Esselle Harris died in 2022, and Mrs. Potato Head doesn’t speak in the trailer, so we can’t yet know how well Vocino does at impersonating Harris.
The New Slinky Dog
This isn’t the first time a “Toy Story” voice actor had to be replaced. Jim Varney, the original voice of Slinky Dog, died in 2000. From “Toy Story 3” onwards, Blake Clark has voiced Slinky, and he captured the flavor of Varney’s voice well. In addition, “Toy Story 5” will feature the return of Combat Carl, who will be voiced by Ernie Hudson. The original voice of Combat Carl, Carl Weathers, died in 2024.
Of course, one has to wonder how long the “Toy Story” franchise will last. If the franchise grows to six, seven, or even eight movies, how many more original actors will have to be replaced? The day could come when there’s a “Toy Story” movie that features none of the original actors. In this era of sequels, prequels, remakes, and franchises that seem to last forever, that might not be too implausible now. Perhaps we might even see the day where major animated franchises like “Toy Story” get rebooted.
What Is “Toy Story 5” About? When Does It Come Out?
“Toy Story 5” continues the saga centering on Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the toys. Their child, Bonnie, has gotten a tablet, and she becomes addicted to the tablet. As such, she stops playing with her toys. Other kids around town are also abandoning their toys in favor of tech. Can play survive in a world dominated by tech? “Toy Story 5” looks like it will be making a statement about how tech has overtaken our lives and how we need to remember the tangible things in life, not just toys. “Toy Story 5” comes to theaters on June 19th.
