Forky's Musical Numbers: Our Interview with Jake Monaco, 'Forky Asks a Question' Composer (Podcast Episode 069)

Have you had a chance to experience Forky Asks a Question yet? The new 10-episode series of shorts on Disney Plus features the hilarious hand-crafted breakout star of Toy Story 4, Forky. Not only does the show feature the amazing vocal work of Tony Hale (among other actors), but it's (for lack of better words) just plain funny.

Julie, the co-owner of the site, said that Forky Asks a Question is like "sunshine" because it just makes you feel good. But it's not one individual piece that makes you feel good, the series is magic because everything works in tandem to make the whole project better as a whole.

One of the pieces that drive the energy of the short and supplement each and every one of Forky's episodic questions is the original music composed by Jake Monaco. 

We recently had a chance to talk to Jake all about how he got involved with Pixar and ultimately, Forky Asks a Question. We explored how he started diving into composing the series, how he partnered and collaborated with Director, Bob Peterson, and even discussed the recording process at Capitol Studios in Hollywood (among many other topics).

Trust me, you're going to want to listen to our discussion and learn all about the fun side projects he's worked on at Pixar as well — he wrote the lighthearted folk-style song that the toys are playing when Woody and Bo Peep come into the pinball machine to meet Duke Caboom (Toy Story 4), he arranged and orchestrated Adrien Belew's piece for Piper, and even had a hand in a ton of promotional projects for films like Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4.

You can listen to the full episode embedded below and links to all of our posts mentioned during the recording are included in the show notes below — enjoy.

LISTEN

Listen to the episode using the embedded player below or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

SHOW NOTES

• 00:00 — Show kickoff and Pixar trivia — how many times does Forky say "What, Nooo" in "What is a Friend?" and What three Pixar shorts start with "Part?"
• 04:54 — Additional updates to Pixar's upcoming film releases (2020-2024)
• 08:24 — Is Kristen Lester developing a feature film at Pixar?
• 11:37 — The Spirit of Adventure: A Pixar Poster Show is going to feature 15 new Pixar-themed screen print posters and kicks off in early December.
• 18:59 — Dark Horse Comics is releasing a new Incredibles 2-themed comic focusing on Dash and a new villain named Slow Burn.
• 21:25 — We talk all about the Disney Plus Guide (a searchable, sortable guide to what's playing on Disney+) and the soft-launch of our sister site, Animated Parenting.
• 27:27 — Pixar titles are missing from Disney+, but which ones are missing, which are coming, and when are they coming (it was always part of the plan).
• 34:25 — Introduction to our interview with Jake Monaco
• 39:56 — Our Interview with Forky Asks a Question composer, Jake Monaco
• 1:12:37 — After the interview we discuss our review of the Forky Asks a Question series, list and chat about all 10 episode titles, and laugh about our favorite moments.

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- Pixar's 'Soul' Directed by Pete Docter to Feature its First African-American Lead Character — All The Details from the D23 Expo Panel
- Who and What is the Manticore in Pixar's Onward (Voiced by Octavia Spencer)?

Pixar Post - T.J. & Julie