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Toy Story 5 Gets Greenlight Despite Near Perfect Toy Story 4 Ending
Toy Story 5 has gotten the green light at Disney, recently-returned CEO Bob Iger has confirmed. The last installment in the franchise, Toy Story 4, was thought to be a near-perfect ending to the series when it came out in 2019, and the film performed spectacularly well, raking in north of $1 billion worldwide. Toy Story 4 featured franchise icons Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning to reprise their roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The film also starred Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, and Bonnie Hunt. Disney and Pixar veteran Josh Cooley directed the fourth movie in the series.
According to Iger, Toy Story 5 is now in development. The announcements were made during Disney's quarterly earnings call with investors. The announcement came alongside confirmation that Zootopia 2 and Frozen 3 are also on the way. No further details were given on the state or release dates of those projects, but they are assumed to be very early in their respective development processes.
How Toy Story Can Continue After The Fourth Film
Toy Story 4's hard-hitting ending was considered a great way to end the franchise's mainline movie series, but the same has often been said about Toy Story 3. The franchise has been in a will-they-won't-they state over the last few years regarding future storytelling, but Iger's comments confirm that a return to the iconic universe is in the cards and set for the big screen. Toy Story 4 ended on a touching note, with Woody and Bo Peep getting their happy ending, and the rest of the toys going back to live with Bonnie.
Toy Story 5 creates an interesting set of options for Disney and Pixar. It is difficult to imagine that the franchise will continue without Woody, the lead character of the series. Toy Story 4 saw Woody undergo a great deal of stress trying to decide on his future. Ultimately, Woody decided to start a new life with the lost toys Bunny, Ducky, Duke, and Giggle. In doing so, he handed his sheriff's badge over to Jessie and started the search for the toys' owners. Toy Story 5 could pick up during their search, though it could diminish some of the weight of the fourth movie's emotional conclusion.
The future could also see a completely different lead protagonist. That said, the franchise is so legendary in part because of Woody and Buzz, so perhaps that would be too big of a risk for Disney. The film presents an opportunity to continue both of their stories, especially after Toy Story 4's ending saw Buzz in limbo. Regardless of the direction that they take, a return to Toy Story should be as fun and emotional as audiences have come to expect. With several years now separating the last installment, Toy Story 5 will undoubtedly be met with plenty of hype.
