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Posted in: Disney, Movies, Pixar | Tagged: carl weathers, Ernie Hudson, toy story, toy story 5
Toy Story 5: Ernie Hudson on Joining Disney/Pixar Animated Franchise
Ernie Hudson (Boston Blue) spoke to us about taking over the role of Combat Carl for the late Carl Weathers for Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 5.
Article Summary
- Ernie Hudson joins Toy Story 5, taking over as the voice of Combat Carl after Carl Weathers' passing.
- The actor reveals his excitement at finally joining the beloved Disney/Pixar Toy Story franchise.
- Hudson discusses being encouraged to bring his own interpretation to the Combat Carl character.
- He reflects on reuniting with Tom Hanks and fellow Ghostbusters co-star Annie Potts in the new film.
Ernie Hudson, like his biggest signature character in Ghostbusters, Winston Zeddemore, is always looking for that opportunity to make himself useful and become an invaluable member of the team. When Disney came calling to see if he could step in for the late Carl Weathers to voice the role of Combat Carl, originally introduced in the 1995 original Toy Story, for the upcoming Toy Story 5, for director Andrew Stanton, the Quantum Leap star responded. Combat Carl was originally a silent character in the John Lasseter film. When the character returned in Toy Story 4 in 2019, The Mandalorian and Rocky franchise star voiced the character. While promoting his CBS procedural series Boston Blue, Hudson spoke to Bleeding Cool about taking over for Weathers, who passed in 2024, and reuniting with star Tom Hanks, who goes way back to the actor's earlier sitcom days, and Ghostbusters co-star Annie Potts.
Boston Blue Star Ernie Hudson on Joining Toy Story 5 and Offering His Take on Combat Carl
I'm excited that you're joining the Toy Story franchise. What's it like to be in the fifth movie?
Yeah, I mean, it took five movies for [Disney] to invite me to come and play, but I'm thrilled they did. I did not know until we had already started working on it that Carl Weathers had voiced that character before. They didn't tell me, I'm assuming, because they want me to sort of do my own thing with it, but it's fun. I love the Toy Story films. Tom Hanks, I did an episode of Bosom Buddies (1981) with him years ago, and I consider him a friend, and of course, Annie Potts. A lot of people worked on it, and I never knew why I hadn't been. It's almost like Marvel. I'm like, "I'm over here, guys!" As actors, we must wait to be invited, so they haven't invited me.
Boston Blue, which also stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Donnie Wahlberg, Maggie Lawson, Mika Amonsen, Marcus Scribner, and Gloria Reuben, airs Fridays on CBS. Toy Story 5, which also features the voices of Tim Allen, Joan Cusak, Blake Clark, John Ratzenberger, Tony Hale, Anna Faris, Conan O'Brien, Greta Lee, and Melissa Villaseñor, comes to theaters on June 19, 2026.
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