With the box office numbers for Inside Out still climbing, audiences and critics agree that the cotton-candied elephant-hybrid, Bing Bong, is nothing short of a breakout character. Riley’s ‘Kind’-hearted imaginary friend manages to tug on the heartstrings leaving you longing for your childhood.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Movies the voice behind Bing Bong, Richard Kind explained that he didn’t know much about the character until he had recorded his dialogue (as vocal work may be completed during the finalization of character development). Over the years, as Inside Out continued in production, Richard was able to watch the artists bring the character to life in drawing form – however, it’s Richard’s delightful charm that springs Bing Bong to life on-screen.
“I just did the lines as if I’m talking to an 11-year-old girl, or I was talking to Joy. But I was not an elephant or a ‘catelephant’ or a cotton candy. I was me, talking to her, going, ‘Oh, you remember [me]!'”
Still, Kind developed a certain affection for Bing Bong, in part due to the pink guy’s selflessness. “A lot of times you’ve got to love your character,” he said. “I love this guy.”
Richard Kind
Richard’s passion and personal investment in Bing Bong are equally mirrored in his comments when Entertainment Weekly (EW) asked him if his touching final scene made him cry.
“When I was recording it, I cried every time I tried to say ‘Take her to the moon.’ You can hear it in my voice. Last year I took a trip with my family from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We stopped at Pixar, and they showed us some of the last scenes. My oldest daughter, who was 12 at the time, looked at me and just started sobbing and ran into her mother’s arms. It hit home for her.”
EW and Richard also discussed recording the exceedingly catchy, Bing Bong Song — Richard noted,
“When you do a voice, you do it alone in the recording booth. I had no idea whether I was harmonizing with Amy or whether I was even singing the same notes as Amy when I was doing it. And of course, there was nobody there playing the piano. It was Pete singing it and going, ‘This is what Joy sang, this is what we’re thinking of.’ I said ‘All right,’ and I was just praying that it was somewhat neat. I don’t think Amy and I ever sang it together.”
It’s no wonder that audiences fell in love with this fictional, imaginary friend. In case you didn’t know, Richard Kind is no stranger when it comes to lending his voice to a Pixar character – having voiced Molt (A Bug’s Life), Bookworm (Toy Story 3), and Van (Cars, Cars 2). Before we go, we just have to ask…
Who’s your friend who likes to play? Bing Bong, Bing Bong… His rocket makes you yell, “Hooray!” Bing Bong, Bing Bong Who’s the best in every way… and wants to sing this song to say, “Bing Bong, Bing Bong!”
