Pixar has been one of the most reliable animation studios for nearly 40 years. They’ve consistently churned out some of the best-animated films of all time, such as Toy Story, Monsters. Inc., Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and many others. For the most part, almost every movie has earned critical and audience praise, with a few exceptions (cough, Cars 2, cough).

Besides high quality, there’s one more thing that people can always count on with Pixar – the voice of John Ratzenberger. He began his career with the animation giant in their very first film by voicing Hamm in Toy Story and its sequels. Following that, every Pixar movie over the next 25 years featured a voice performance from Ratzenberger. Some were major or supporting roles, and some were just quick cameos. But his voice was always there. Until it wasn’t.

Ratzenberger’s last Pixar voice role came in 2020’s Onward, infamous for its release the week before the first worldwide COVID-19 shutdowns. He did not appear in Soul later that year, and he has not been heard in a Pixar production since. So why the change? Why did Pixar abandon a 25-year voice acting tradition with no clear explanation? Let’s look at what we know.

The Early Days
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Who is John Ratzenberger? Besides his Pixar fame, the actor is most well known for his performance as postal worker Cliff Clavin on Cheers from 1982 to 1993. As mentioned, he’s been with Pixar since the beginning, bringing Hamm to life in 1995’s Toy Story and its three sequels. He followed up Toy Story with a brief appearance as P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life, then as the Yeti in Monsters, Inc., and so on.

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Besides Hamm, his most frequent role is Mack the truck in the Cars franchise. Though not Pixar productions, he also appears as different characters in the Cars spin-off film series Planes. His extensive Pixar experience is referenced in the end credits of Cars, where Mack watches car-themed versions of previous Pixar films. Mack notes how several characters are voiced by the same person (Ratzenberger’s roles) before lamenting the cheap quality of this tactic.

Hunting for Ratzenberger’s distinctive voice was part of the fun with every new Pixar release, with an extra challenge if it was just a quick one-liner. So why did he go away?

Ratzenberger’s Exit
Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesDisney+

When Soul was released in late 2020, it clearly missed one thing: Ratzenberger’s voice. While fans did not hear him, director Pete Docter explained that Ratzenberger is featured in Soul – sort of. In one scene, we see a cameo of an office worker who resembles a young Ratzenberger from his Cliff Clavin days. The employee has no lines, meaning that Ratzenberger himself is technically not involved with Soul. Docter noted they wanted to do something new with Ratzenberger’s cameo rather than the traditional voice role.

Any hope that this was a one-time omission was shot down, as Ratzenberger was entirely absent from Luca, Turning Red, Lightyear, and Elemental. He did reprise his role as the Yeti on the TV spin-off Monsters at Work in 2021, but he’s been silent since. And there’s no clear reason why.

Beyond Docter’s statement, neither Pixar nor Ratzenberger have offered a public explanation for his exit. It’s possible that he’s retired from acting, though that’s unlikely. He had a guest spot on Peacock’s Poker Face this year and even still voice acts. He appeared in Skydance Animation’s Luck in 2022, produced by longtime Pixar collaborator John Lasseter.

Ratzenberger would have presumably made a public statement if he had chosen to retire. Pixar has also not explained why they ended their partnership. Could there have been a behind-the-scenes feud? Or did Ratzenberger decide it was time to move on to new opportunities? We may never know.

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What’s also notable is that there’s been little public reaction to his exit. The entire internet melted down when it was believed that Chris Evans was permanently replacing Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. As usual, the “controversy” was way overblown, as Evans only appeared in the spin-off Lightyear film. Allen will be back for Toy Story 5. So why hasn’t there been a similar Ratzenberger outrage? Since he’s never featured in a leading role, maybe mainstream audiences haven’t noticed his absence. Pixar’s post-Ratzenberger releases haven’t exactly been “must-see,” and coupled with the studio’s silence, it’s easy to see why this story hasn’t received major media coverage.

Will We Hear Him Again?
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Despite his exit, there’s a chance we could hear Ratzenberger’s voice once again in the form of sequels. A sequel to Inside Out is set for release in summer 2024. In the original, Ratzenberger voiced Fritz, the construction worker. He was not a major character, so omitting him from the sequel would be feasible.

The better odds come with Toy Story 5, which is still in early development. Hamm has played a major role in all four Toy Story films, and it would be difficult to imagine one without him. Will Pixar call up their old friend John to come back? Or would they attempt to recast or remove Hamm? We’ll have to wait and see. In any case, we may never know the full story behind the end of one of Pixar’s greatest recurring Easter eggs.