With the debut of Pixar’s Inside Out 2, comes the seeming return to a tradition started with the very first film from the iconic animation studio.
What’s Happening:
- Actor John Ratzenberger, who was considered Pixar’s “Good Luck Charm” after voicing Hamm in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life is due to make a vocal appearance once again in the new film from the studio, Inside Out 2.
- This is a big deal for many fans of the studio, as Ratzenberger has not been featured in the films from the studio since Onward in early 2020.
- Typically, Ratzenberger has played a voice role in a Pixar film whether it be a supporting role, or even just a cameo appearance.
- In the first Inside Out back in 2015, Ratzenberger provided the voice of a mind worker who installed a new console near the end of the film, amounting to a cameo at the last minute that made fans point at the screen a la that Leonardo DiCaprio meme.
- With the debut of Soul in 2020, the tradition of Ratzenberger voicing a character in each Pixar film had been broken, but there was an exception to the rule – Ratzenberger’s likeness could be seen as an Easter Egg in the film, thus leading to some sort of Ratzenberger Representation in the film.
- However, the same could not be said of Luca, Turning Red, Lightyear, and Elemental, the subsequent films from the studio that had neither a voice or visual cameo from the actor.
- The return of Ratzenberger, voicing a mind worker named Fritz in the new Inside Out 2, leads to a return to the studio that could also include a role in the upcoming Elio, and a reprisal of Hamm in the announced Toy Story 5.
- Inside Out 2 arrives in theaters on June 14th.
Ratzenberger In The Pixar Films:
- Toy Story – Hamm
- A Bug’s Life – P.T. Flea
- Toy Story 2 – Hamm
- Monsters, Inc. – Abominable Snowman
- Finding Nemo – Moonfish
- The Incredibles – The Underminer
- Cars – Mack (and Car versions of Abominable Snowman, Hamm, and P.T. Flea)
- Ratatouille – Mustafa
- WALL-E – John
- Up – Construction Foreman Tom
- Toy Story 3 – Hamm
- Cars 2 – Mack
- Brave – Gordon
- Monsters University – Abominable Snowman
- Inside Out – Fritz
- The Good Dinosaur – Earl
- Finding Dory – Bill
- Cars 3 – Mack
- Coco – Juan Ortodoncia
- Incredibles 2 – The Underminer
- Toy Story 4 – Hamm
- Onward – Construction Worker Fennwick
- Soul – N/A / Visual Cameo
- Luca – N/A
- Turning Red – N/A
- Lightyear – N/A
- Elemental – N/A
- Inside Out 2 – Fritz