, which is available now on Digital, this Tuesday Sept. 22 on DVD, and this Wednesday Sept. 23 on Disney+. In this Animation Scoop Q&A, Hale shares insights on voice acting, being part of TS5, and the future of Forky. (This Interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on this. One of the best films I’ve seen this year. What was your reaction to seeing it and the reaction you’ve been getting this summer and now into the fall of families seeing this?

Tony Hale: Oh man. When I first heard they were doing it I had that moment of, “Ooh, that’s a big topic. Technology. ‘Cause we’re all thinking it. We’re all wondering where this is going. We’re all at a crossroads with our families and our kids. They did not come from a perspective of bashing technology. They were like, “This is not going away. It’s a great tool, but it will not replace human connection. It will not replace creativity coming out of our brain.” They just walked that line beautifully.

JM: Yeah. It’s a very fascinating script. It’s a bold script. I’ve talked to a lot of parents who are so emotionally impacted by it — and also enjoyed the humor of it, with you as Forky… getting married to Karen Beverly. How did it feel that that is the opening scene of one of the prominent trailers for the movie that came out? And a lot of your funny one-liners were in the trailer. To know that, “Hey, my work is helping to sell this movie, to get it out there…”

TH: I’m still kind of like, “Am I in this?” (laughs) I’m still overwhelmed to even be a part of this universe. So anytime I hear or see Forky I’m like, “I can’t believe I do that!” I love that they put that in the trailer because the way when Bonnie goes into her creative mind and the animation completely changed — and it was just this freedom. That was so brilliantly done. Every time she escaped into her imagination, the animation completely changed. I loved it.

JM: Those scenes are very cool and have a lot to them. I think your voice work is just as prolific as your live-action work. You’ve been a part of so many projects over the years, [including] “Inside Out 2” as Fear and a lot of Disney shows. Were Disney animated films and series highlights growing up for you?

TH: Yes. I also was crazy about The Muppets. There was something freeing about an animated… or a Muppet that was just… Beaker was my favorite character. And Scooter. The creativity of animation and those Muppets matched my brain and where it went. I always had a bit of a connection with it.

JM: I love that. So because of all the projects you’ve been a part of, how would you say your voice work represents who you are as a performing artist… and how dedicated you are to this craft?

TH: If I’m honest, I was pretty insecure coming into the voice work because as a physical comedian, so much is the nonverbal. So much is the eye movements, like Bob Newhart and Tim Conway — physical comedians I grew up with. When you take the body out of it and you just have the voice I was like, “Oh gosh. How’s this gonna work?” But then I learned, thankfully, to have the same freedom in front of the mic that I would in front of a camera — and then just trusting that it would be transferred to the sound. Once I kind of flicked that switch, it helped me to get into that freedom.

JM: Nice. And you were Annie nominated for your voice work as Forky in “Toy Story 4”. I would love to see a voice performance Oscars category. How about you?

TH: Let’s do it! There’s so many great characters out there. I love obviously that animation deserves a category — and just to see all the voices bring those to life, that would be super fun.

JM: I spoke with Seth Worley, the director of “Sketch”, last year…

TH: You did?!

JM: I did! What a great movie that is. You were great in it.

TH: Oh, isn’t it great?! Talk about creativity.

JM: Right! It has similar themes to the “Toy Story” franchise and “Toy Story 5”. What did being a part of that mean to you?

TH: That took us eight years to get made. It came from his daughter’s story. She was drawing out her feelings and got in trouble for it and then they come to life in the story. He did such a brilliant job. It’s such a beautiful film that people can watch on Digital now. To be part of something — producing and then acting — and see that come to life… it was the best. The best.

JM: Excellent movie with a lot of important themes and messages — like you said creativity, children’s imagination, trusting in children.

TH: Yes. And grief. Dealing with grief.

JM: Absolutely. So where would you like to see the “Toy Story” saga go from here? Where do you want Forky to go? What’s in your mind?

TH: Forky’s a husband now, so we’ll see. Forky has such a perspective of curiosity, “Hey, I’m open for anything.” I kinda wanna be more like Forky. He’s just like, “Yeah, let’s go!” So any adventure you put him in, he’s just gonna have a blast. Even if he’s organizing his room, “Let’s go! I got a lot of questions! What’s a nightstand?” He’s just ready.

JM: More of “Forky Asks a Question”… That was big early on in the COVID time. Maybe more of that.

TH: Yeah. And “What is a Nightstand?” should be one of the episodes.