A Pixar tradition has resumed with Inside Out 2 with the return of John Ratzenberger. Ratzenberger voiced characters in Pixar films for over two decades starting with Hamm in 1995’s Toy Story. He lent his voice to every Pixar film up until 2020’s Onward. He was often referred to as Pixar’s good luck charm. His roles were often nothing more than cameos but fans eagerly looked for this specific Easter Egg in each Pixar film.
Starting in 202’s Soul, Ratzenberger’s voice was not used anymore in Pixar films. Soul did see his likeness appear as a background character. However, the movies that follow didn’t include Ratzenberger at all. Turning Red, Lightyear, and Elemental did not Ratzenberger in them at all. This seems to have been a creative choice or something as there didn’t appear to be any fall out between Pixar and Ratzenberger. In fact, he continued to voice Yeti for 2021’s Monsters at Work.
Inside Out 2 sees the return of John Ratzenberger in the role of Fritz, a Mind Worker. This is a role he brought to life in 2015’s Inside Out. In that movie, Fritz upgraded Riley’s emotion console at the end of the movie. It is likely that in this film, he will have what amounts to a cameo as well in the same role as Riley goes through another life change that will lead to emotional changes. In Inside Out 2, Riley is about to enter High School and all that comes with it… including new emotions.
Looking forward, it isn’t known if John Ratzenberger will be appearing in the next Pixar film on the slate, Elio. It definitely seems more possible today with his participation in Inside Out 2. He will most likely return as Hamm in Toy Story 5 as well.
John Ratzenberger’s History with Pixar Films
- Toy Story (1995) – Hamm
- A Bug’s Life (1998) – P.T. Flea
- Toy Story 2 (1999) – Hamm
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) – Abominable Snowman
- Finding Nemo (2003) – Moonfish
- The Incredibles (2004) – The Underminer
- Cars (2006) – Mack (also Cars versions of Abominable Snowman, Hamm, and P.T. Flea)
- Ratatouille (2007) – Mustafa
- WALL-E (2008) – John
- Up ( 2009) – Construction Foreman Tom
- Toy Story 3 (2010) – Hamm
- Cars 2 (2011) – Mack
- Brave (2012) – Gordon
- Monsters University (2013) – Abominable Snowman
- Inside Out (2015) – Fritz
- The Good Dinosaur (2015) – Earl
- Finding Dory (2016) – Bill
- Cars 3 (2017) – Mack
- Coco (2017) – Juan Ortodoncia
- Incredibles 2 (2018) – The Underminer
- Toy Story 4 (2019) – Hamm
- Onward (2020) – Construction Worker Fennwick
- Soul (2020) – No Voice but a Visual Cameo
- Luca (2021) – Not In This Film
- Turning Red (2022) – Not In This Film
- Lightyear (2022) – Not In This Film
- Elemental (2023) – Not In This Film
- Inside Out 2 (2024) – Fritz
What do you think of John Ratzenberger again returning to a Pixar movie? Do you think it will be good luck for Inside Out 2? Are you looking forward to seeing this film when it arrives in theaters on June 14, 2024? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
