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Toy Story 3 Gets Two More Voices, Including Michael Keaton!

by Kevin Powers
August 24, 2008
Source: IESB

In January we learned that the third installment of Toy Story (pretty much the property that started Pixar's reign) will be rendered in 3D. Since then, a fake poster cropped up and today IESB brings us word that in addition to the voices already cast, a couple more characters have already been cast. The supporting toys, Barbie and Ken, will be voiced by Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid) and Hollywood veteran Michael Keaton, respectively. If you're a fan of the series, you probably recall that Barbie made an appearance in Toy Story 2, for which Benson served as the voice talent. Her return to the series parallels other cast members, such as Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. New to the third film, however, is a notable role for Ken. Keaton seems a fine choice on that front and actually voiced a small role in Pixar's Cars.

We're not exactly sure on the extent of Barbie and Ken's participation in the plot. For that matter, all we really know about the film's storyline presently is that it deals with "Woody and his toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, leaves for college." I have to admit, the original Toy Story remains a formative experience in my appreciation for animation and my enduring love of Pixar. But the second and the upcoming third film don't really do much for me. This might be an unrelated comment, but sequels to Pixar films strike me as a bit irrelevant. Part of the success of the company's films is its wonderfully unique characters and storytelling. I think you lose some of that magic in a sequel. But I digress. I'm also not a huge fan of 3D, but I suspect the technology will probably find a nice home in this series.

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17 Comments

the second movie ruined the first imo, and randomly making a third so long after kinda seems pointless, besides all the money it will make

djw on Aug 24, 2008

it must be a star wars thing, cos the second toy story was hilarious, all there references to the star wars films were great, can't wait to see woody and "buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz lightyear" (to the rescue) again 🙂

BILLY on Aug 24, 2008

Isn't the poster fake? it sure looks fake

bat on Aug 24, 2008

yeaah bat, they animated his faceee haha all CGI

Hmm on Aug 24, 2008

I'm a big Michael Keaton fan, so this is a nice surprise. It's good to see him get some work. It's too bad Jim Varney died, Toy Story 3 won't be the same without him.

Drew on Aug 24, 2008

Kevin Powers - Please be more critical of the nes you hear on the net... that Toy Story 3 poster is a complete fake! A rehash of some old images, just look at the floating pig with a crappy shadow... I even think that the characters are regenerated by a thrid party as the eyes are completely wrong. You only damage your cred showing the public shit like that! Rock on Toy Story - I love these movies, they provided me with so much adventure, excitment and a love for all things 3D.

dom on Aug 25, 2008

When Toy Story came out in '95 I was absolutely stunned with the visuals. This for me was the first really decent use of computers to animate a film. When the sequel was released in '99 I was further enthralled with how much more refined the world the Toys existed in had become. Since then the technology has skyrocketed upwards, and I'm really curious to know how much better the movies will look after 11 years of tech improvements. But most of all I'm looking forward to another PIXAR movie. As with just about everything they make the boys at PIXAR seem to be some of the few ones that know how to give a sense of heart to a movie. And giving them a chance to go back to the characters that they know best should be really entertaining. The introduction of Keaton is great, and I think it says something about this franchise that the other cast members are willing to come back for a third time for this series. I look forward to seeing this movie, and am just glad I can take my niece who wasn't here for the originals out and share some of the magic with her.

DarkRaven18599 on Aug 25, 2008

I love Micheal Keaton as he's always been one of my favorites. He can do comedy as well as serious acting. His performance in Clean and Sober should have gotten him an Oscar nomination back in 1988. I always thought he would be another Tom Hanks, but his career really evaporated when he passed on playing Batman in Batman Forever!

entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com on Aug 25, 2008

On this point I have to agree with George Lucas: the value of a celebrity voice acting in an animated film is minimal. The only real contribution they make to an animated film is that they are recognizable faces to use for PROMOTING the film.

RandyG on Aug 25, 2008

i think a third movie along the lines mention in the article could work out nicely if buzz and woody find a loving home in the end and the whole getting dumped at a daycare plays along the lines of jessie in part two. i absolutly loved part two BTW and would like to visit with toy story again BUT they are verging on pumping the well dry if the story faulters or has a bad showing at the box office. i think it'd be better to make a NEW movie rather than redo or revisit an older film....stay fresh, it gaurantees longevity

thejugfather on Aug 25, 2008

I really dig Michael Keaton too. Sorry to see his career pretty much tanked after he left the Batman series. This high profile film will hopefully get his name back out there and maybe put him in contention for some great mainstream roles. Or at least allow him to shoot Jack Frost II. 😀

kevjohn on Aug 25, 2008

PLEASE! NO 3D! I love Pixar movies. But I can't watch 3D movies. They give me a headache after only a couple of minutes. I will be very sad not to be able to see this movie. I have my doubts about a 3rd installment of this series, but if anyone can pull it off, it will be Pixar. But if they are resorting to 3D to try to make it exciting enough, I am guessing it will spend a very short time in the theaters. It would be a shame for them to have a flop to get a wake up call.

Keith H on Aug 25, 2008

The kid was my age, Shouldn't he be done with playing with toys? Sounds like he's got a thing for Buzz and Woody.

Dustyman1505 on Aug 25, 2008

I have a friend who does sound recording in Chicago and she just did some of Joan Crusacks voice tracks for this film, which means Jessie is in it too. The only thing Pixar needs to avoid is stacking the cast with big names like films like Shark Tale and Madagascar do in place of a decent story. As long as the story is strong, the voice talents will just add to the depth of the film. I do enjoy that they tend to use off the beaten path actors. Not that Keaton is some C list hack, but they're not going for the Angelina Jolie's, the Brad Pitts, or Will Smith's just yet. I could barely recognize any of the voice talents in Ratatouille, which is good. I think they do a good job of matching the voice with the character. Keaton blended pretty seamlessly into Cars, I don't expect this to be much different. Normally I'm against sequels, but Toy Story 2 was arguably better than the first. I'm all for another Toy Story film if they can keep it on that level. If not, I wish they wouldn't take the risk and cheapen the rest of the films.

ImaginaryVisionary on Aug 25, 2008

I hate 3D! However, after watching the first digital 3D movie ever with Brandan Frasier...no headache! So this should be OK. Plus it's PIXAR, can't go wrong!!!!

ModernRock on Aug 26, 2008

Still think this is the best Pixar has done with TS 1 and 2. PLEASE, This has to better than stink'n Wall-E. Glad Jessie is in as well. "You forgot to say Root'n tootn'ist!" and Hello Bat, the frame with Keaton on the image is from the first Batman. You of all people shouold know this.

Tim "Cloverfield" on Aug 27, 2008

i will see toy story 3 in 3d in theatres june 18th 2010 at king prussia so i like toy story 3 my favorite toy story 3 woody buzz lightyear and jessie the cowgirl my favorite toy story 3 actors are tom hanks tim allen joan cusack and micheal keaton i like toy story 3 beacuse i will see in 3d at imax movie theatre i will see shrek forever after in 3d too so i like to see toy story 3 in 3d at imax in king prussia so i will see toy story 3 in theatres june 18th 2010 dightal 3-d i will see it in 3-d see ya.

andries price on Aug 7, 2009

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