Bullseye can’t talk in the Toy Story movies, but there might be plausible explanations as to why that is. First released in 1995, Toy Story introduced Pixar to the world, along with Woody, Buzz, and a bunch of other lovable talking toys. Though apparently, not all of the toys actually have the gift of gab.
Now four movies in, the Toy Story franchise is as popular as ever. The fourth film in the series, Toy Story 4, earned more than $1 billion worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2019. As a whole, the franchise has earned around $3 billion total at the box office. Though a Toy Story 5 hasn’t been announced, the series continues through several shorts, including the show Forky Asks a Question on Disney+. There's also a new movie coming out starring Chris Evans as the human version of Buzz Lightyear within the Toy Story universe.
Despite all of its films and shorts, one prominent Toy Story mystery remains: Why doesn’t Bullseye talk in the movies? Introduced in 1999’s Toy Story 2, Bullseye is a toy horse and part of Woody’s Roundup, a fictitious puppet show within the film. But unlike most of the toys in the Pixar movies, he doesn’t talk. He simply neighs and acts like a puppy. And there may be a few reasons for it. Behind-the-scenes facts from Toy Story 2 claimed there was a point where the horse could’ve talked with rumors that Martin Short was originally going to voice Bullseye. Toy Story 2 development footage (via YouTube) seemingly shows Bullseye dialogue tests before John Lasseter, Toy Story 2’s director, decided the horse should be more puppy-like. But if that is the case, why does Bullseye have to act more puppy-like? After all, most of the other toy animals in the Toy Story universe can talk. What's the reasoning behind the decision?
It may come down to toys acting like their “real-life” counterparts within the Toy Story universe. As mentioned, Chris Evans is playing Buzz Lightyear as a human in an upcoming project. In the original Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear doesn't initially think he's a toy because he seemingly believes he's this non-toy Space Ranger that Evans will portray. The Bullseye puppet in Woody’s Roundup acts like a horse. With that in mind, it makes sense that Bullseye would be more animal-like. The character may simply be acting more like the Bullseye on the show.
Of course, this is Pixar, and there may not be a logical reason for Bullseye's speechlessness at all. Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, has said many unanswered Pixar questions don’t have explanations. For instance, why didn’t Buzz freeze around people in the first Toy Story movie if he didn’t think he was a toy? According to Docter, the audience didn’t need to know the answer, so Pixar didn't put any effort into explaining Buzz's behavior. Remember, Bullseye isn’t the only character that can’t talk in Toy Story. Sid’s toys in the original movie don’t talk either. While viewers can come up with various explanations as to why that's the case, Pixar may be toying with everyone's emotions for no reason at all.
