Credit: PixarPixar icon John Ratzenberger is officially coming back for a small role in the studio’s next film.
For 25 years, John Ratzenberger was a Pixar staple. What started with voicing Hamm in Toy Story (1995) – a role he reprised for all of the film’s sequels – evolved into cameos in everything from A Bug’s Life (1998), where he played P.T. Flea, to Onward (2020), where he appeared as Construction Worker Fennwick.
Related: Pixar Seemingly Confirms Universe Crossover, New Film Overlaps
While Ratzenberger reprised his role of the Yeti and also voiced Bernard in the Disney+ series Monsters at Work, he has been notably absent from Pixar films since the pandemic. Soul (2020), Luca (2021), Turning Red (2022), Lightyear (2022), and Elemental (2023) all premiered sans-Ratzenberger – despite the fact he was once regarded as the animation studio’s lucky charm.
Fortunately, that’s all about to change. With the release of the trailer for Inside Out 2 (2024), it was confirmed that Ratzenberger will reprise his role of Fritz (the Mind Worker who installs the console containing the “puberty” button in Riley’s mind) in the sequel.
Pixar hasn’t exactly been at the top of its game lately. The studio’s past entries haven’t set the box office alight (although Elemental did prove to be a slow burn), with Lightyear (2022) underperforming to the point that multiple staff involved in the film were let go from Pixar during a round of mass layoffs in 2023.
There were previously rumors that Ratzenberger had jumped ship to Skydance Animation to follow its creative head John Lasseter, the former chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios who left after being accused of sexual misconduct. Ratzenberger voiced Rootie, the self-appointed Mayor of Bad Luck, in Lasseter’s Luck (2022).
Related: ‘Inside Out 2’ Full Cast of Emotions Revealed
It would be a huge jump to say Pixar’s struggles are linked to Ratzenberger’s absence. However, the studio has recently pledged to go back to its roots, and if regular appearances from Ratzenberger are part of the package, we’re all in.
What’s your favorite John Ratzenberger Pixar role? Let us know in the comments!