Forky Asks a Question

On Disney+ Investor Day 2019, Pixar's chief creative officer, Pete Docter, revealed that a new series of shorts, based on Toy Story 4's Forky, titled Forky Asks a Question, was in development for Disney+, with Tony Hale set to reprise his role from Toy Story 4. Hale said that the series is about "these questions that maybe people are embarrassed maybe to ask, but they really don't know".[1] Bob Peterson wrote and directed the series, and was produced by producer of Toy Story 4, Mark Nielsen.[6][7]

The series is produced at Pixar Animation Studios.[6]

On June 12, 2019, when the series was announced, it was confirmed that Tony Hale would reprise his role from Toy Story 4 in the series.[1] On June 18, Hale revealed during an interview that he already recorded his lines as Forky for the series.[8] A week later, Nielsen revealed that Carol Burnett, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Betty White would reprise their roles from Toy Story 4, as Chairol Burnett, Melephant Brooks, Carl Reineroceros, and Bitey White, respectively, during the series.[4] Nielsen said the characters have "considerable screen time" compared to their appearances in the film.[4]

During the D23 Expo on August 23, 2019, it was revealed that John Ratzenberger would reprise his role as Hamm in the series.[2] On October 30, 2019, Wallace Shawn and Kristen Schaal were revealed to be reprising their roles as Rex and Trixie, respectively.[3]

Jake Monaco composed the series' score.[9] Monaco said that "Forky's character is so animated ... There are so many movements and facial expressions and the voice acting that Tony Hale does is just incredible. He is enough to carry any scene by himself". He also said that director Bob Peterson "wanted the music to simply disappear into the background", to which he gave the score "a little bit of a jazz vibe".[9]

A soundtrack for the series' first season, featuring Monaco's score, and two tracks written by Monaco and Toby Sherriff, was released on February 28, 2020.[10]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 83%, based on twelve reviews, with an average rating of 7.95/10. Its critical consensus reads, “Short and sweet, Forky Asks a Question is fun and funny enough to work for fans.”[13] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating “generally favourable reviews.”[14]

Joel Keller of Decider praised the humor of the series, acclaimed the quality of the animation, and found that the script manages to be entertaining for both adults and kids.[15] David Griffin of IGN rated the first episode of the series 9 out of 10, found the show to be very amusing and educational, stated that the animation reaches the level of Pixar's theatrical movies, and praised the performance of Tony Hale as Forky.[16] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "Forky Asks a Question centers on the breakout star character of Toy Story 4 as he ponders the big questions about the world and how it works. Each of the 10 short episodes sees one of his toy friends helping Forky learn things like what it means to be a friend, what defines art, and what time is. Forky absorbs information at a preschooler's pace, which means his focus changes a lot and he gets distracted at times, but he always manages to sum up the main point succinctly and thoughtfully. This hilarious extension of a beloved character is a must-see for Forky fans of all ages".[17]