“We just made sure that their families were okay with it,” director and Pixar creative Andrew Stanton says.

How Toy Story 5 recast Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head after the late Don Rickles and Estelle Harris (exclusive)

"We just made sure that their families were okay with it," director and Pixar creative Andrew Stanton says.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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April 30, 2026 1:00 p.m. ET

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Don Rickles; Mr. Potato Head; Jeff Bergman. Credit:

Harry Langdon/Getty; Disney/Pixar; Amanda Edwards/Getty

- *Toy Story 5* marks the first film without Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

- Director Andrew Stanton talks through the process of recasting the characters with Jeff Bergman and Anna Vocino.

- Tom Hanks shares the story of how his kids met Rickles for the first time.

*Toy Story 5*, in addition to being the first *Toy Story* movie directed by Pixar creative Andrew Stanton, is also the first installment of this beloved animated franchise without the original voices of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.

Don Rickles and Estelle Harris originated the roles of the happy plastic couple in that first film from 1995. They continued to play the characters up until their deaths, including in various video game offshoots and shorts. Rickles died at 90 in 2017, and Harris' death followed in 2022 at 93.

In the case of the late stand-up comedian, known for his brand of insult comedy, Rickles did not record a new voice performance for *Toy Story 4*. With his family's permission, Pixar combed through "25 years of everything we didn't use," including material from past films and theme park attractions, to piece together a new recording.

Estelle Harris; Mrs. Potato Head; Anna Vocino.

Beck Starr/WireImage; Disney/Pixar; Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty

Stanton, who began work on *Toy Story 5* a few years later in 2022, didn't have that same luxury. He was then tasked with recasting both roles for the next sequel (in theaters June 19).

"We just made sure that their families were okay with it," the filmmaker and Pixar's Vice President of Creative— who previously directed *A Bug's Life*, the two *Finding Nemo* films, and *WALL-E* — tells **. "They understood that we have to keep the characters going, but we wanted their blessing because we wanted to honor the time that they had devoted to the characters. And, in a way, we are still honoring them by making sure they sound like that."

'Toy Story' Director Pays Tribute to Don Rickles, Voice of Mr. Potato Head

Estelle Harris, beloved 'Seinfeld' actor, dies at 93

The job was searching for "sound-alikes," Stanton says — meaning voice actors who could sound like Rickles and Harris. Pixar found them in Jeff Bergman, the new Mr. Potato Head, and Anna Vocino, the new Mrs. Potato Head. "I was shocked," Stanton says. "They both just nailed it."

*Toy Story 5* was inspired by that pivotal age in a child's life when they find it's not so cool to play with toys anymore. Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is now 8 years old and having trouble making friends as the last kid on her block who still plays. Everyone else seems to be consumed with screens. So her parents gift her Lilypad (Greta Lee), a smart device that sends Bonnie's room full of toys into chaos.

Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) in 'Toy Story 5'.

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In a separate interview, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, who return as Woody and Buzz Lightyear among the star-packed cast, reminisce about Rickles.

"He was much like his character, kind of an angry man," Allen says before channeling the voice of the comic: "'What do you know about World War II?!'"

"I took my kids to see *Toy Story 2* — I think it was that," Hanks recalls. "Estelle was there...A bunch of the cast got together in a theater and watched it. I took my boys. My youngest then was 15 years old [Truman Theodore Hanks], and I said, 'Come on, guys. You gotta meet Don Rickles.'" Hanks, too, then does his Rickles impression: "'Truman, huh? You're the kid? How old are yah? How old are yah? ... 'Bout to turn 16, huh? Well, get yourself some broads and live it up.' And then he wandered off. And they still talk about that day they met Don Rickles."

- Animated Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Animated”