Now here's a fun little scoop from IESB.net: Turns out that not only will Jodi "Ariel" Benson be returning to the Toy Story series to reprise her role as the legendary Barbie (such a doll) , but this time she'll be dragging her boyfriend into the story. And according to IESB, that Ken doll's voice will be provided by none other than Michael Keaton. So that's why you cover the press junkets for video flicks like The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning -- so you can score cool information like this.Best known as Batman, Beetlejuice, Johnny Dangerously, and Mr. Mom, the always-cool Keaton is no stranger to the voice acting business. He recently did some fine work in Pixar's Cars, and his pipes can also be heard in certain episodes of King of the Hill and The Simpsons. Anime fans will remember that Keaton also provided a voice for the U.S. version of Miyazaki's Crimson Pig (aka Porco Rosso) back in '92.
Mr. Keaton would be joining a very familiar crew: Returning for round three are Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, and (of course) John Ratzenberger. Toy Story 3 -- which apparently centers around our favorite playthings' misadventures at a day-care center -- won't hit theaters until the summer of 2010, but if that's how long it takes to make a worthy follow-up to two of the sweetest animated films ever made ... then 2010 it is. Obviously we'll bring you the latest on TS3 as soon as it pops up.
1. Please, please, PLEASE tell me they'll have this guy voiced by Christian Bale:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=twhQKfQSQP8
It would be hilarious.
Posted at 10:30AM on Aug 25th 2008 by John R