In the new minute-and-a-half long teaser trailer for Toy Story 4, Pixar introduces us to a new character—a fucked up spork with pipe cleaner arms named “Forky” who spends his all-too-brief appearance in the clip screaming, “I don’t belong here!” and “I’m not a toy! Ahh!” whilst ruining everyone else’s fun. Nearish the end, Woody (Tom Hanks) yells, “Hey hey, somebody get him before he pokes an eye out,” while Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” soundtracks the sweet, sweet chaos. As for Forky, well, I’m now accepting payment for the blatant ripoff of my likeness.
Director Josh Cooley provided the following statement, via Vanity Fair:
“The world of Toy Story is built upon the idea that everything in the world has a purpose. A toy’s purpose is to be there for its child. But what about toys that are made out of other objects? Forky is a toy that Bonnie made out of a disposable spork, so he’s facing a crisis. He wants to fulfill his purpose as a spork, but now has a new toy purpose thrust upon him.”
Sounds like Cooley wants to mess with kids’ heads, but isn’t that every Disney movie? You’re guaranteed a good laugh and cry in most of them, but this installment might just paralyze us all with fear. It’s a fear we’ve pondered quietly to ourselves: Do we belong here? What if we don’t? Can we serve more than one purpose? What if everyone is just a terrified, mis-identified utensil after all, floating through the sky, looking for a hand to hold?
Watch the trailer below.