Although the Toy Story franchise has already received two perfect endings, it has now been confirmed that Disney plans to revisit the long-running series. While the original trilogy ended the Andy section of the saga in poignant fashion with the titular toys ing to new owner Bonnie, Toy Story 4 took things a step further by bringing lead character Woody's personal arc to an equally heartfelt conclusion. Given the difficulty of pulling off two such emotionally complicated endings, revisiting the Toy Story universe seems like an unnecessary and potentially disastrous risk.
Despite the danger, however, Disney CEO Bob Iger seems set on penning a fresh chapter to the saga. In the company's quarterly call with investors, it was confirmed that Screen Rant). This makes it seem inevitable that the franchise will get a new feature-length chapter, although details on a potential release date or plot remain non-existent. Here is why Toy Story 5 is happening, despite the earlier events in the series.
5 Toy Story 5 Is A Guaranteed Hit For Pixar
While focusing on a fifth entry in the Toy Story series may feel creatively cynical, there's no doubt that it will be a financial triumph. Toy Story is one of the most successful franchises ever made, with the four main films making over $3 billion at the global box office. Considering that Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 were both billion-dollar movies on their own, it's reasonable for Disney to expect that revisiting the franchise will prove to be a shrewd investment.
There's also evidence to suggest that Disney's movie is motivated by necessity rather than pure greed. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Disney and Pixar movies have generally struggled to make a significant impact at the box office. This is even true of films loosely set within the Toy Story universe, as demonstrated by Lightyear's comparatively paltry earnings of $226 million – barely making its money back. Given that the main Toy Story series has instant brand recognition and a dedicated fanbase, continuing the saga seems to make financial sense.
4 Pixar Failed To Expand The Toy Story Franchise - So Toy Story 5 Makes Sense
While Lightyear's financial failure provides a rationale for returning to tried and tested characters, it also highlights a potential problem with more creative approaches to continuing Toy Story's legacy. Despite featuring the familiar Buzz Lightyear, the 2022 movie was a completely original story, using a somewhat convoluted premise of being a movie set within Andy and the toys' universe. Unfortunately, this not only led to confusion about the movie's place in the series, but also meant it failed to meet audience expectations for a character as recognizable as Buzz Lightyear.
Given this, continuing the Toy Story franchise in an official Toy Story 5 makes much more sense. By setting its stall out early, the movie is clearly aligning itself with the characters and events of the main movie timeline. This, in turn, will better resonate with audiences already familiar with the original Buzz and other key characters. Lightyear's failure already demonstrated that there just isn't the appetite for new takes on the Toy Story ensemble – however innovative they might be. In some ways, while Toy Story 5 may seem uninspiring, Lightyear's doomed attempt at expansion proves that familiarity isn't the enemy of success.
3 Toy Story 5 Helps Keep Pixar's Future Theatrical Over Streaming
A Turning Red all had a limited theatrical run before coming to Disney+, prompting Pixar's parent company to prioritize its streaming service instead of a traditional release schedule. If unchecked, the consequence of this could be that Pixar ceases to be a major cinematic filmmaker altogether.
Toy Story 5 could change this. The Toy Story franchise's proven box office pedigree should force Disney to opt for a theatrical release ahead of the movie's debut on Disney+. Indeed, Toy Story 5 would be such a major tent pole release, given the popularity of the Toy Story brand, that a long run in cinemas seems inevitable. If this is the case, and the movie is successful, Toy Story 5 could prove that Pixar movies as a whole have a future beyond being relegated straight to streaming. Given the legacy of successes like Inside Out, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, this should bode well.
2 Toy Story 5 DOES Have More Story To Tell
While the decision to revisit the Toy Story saga could leave some scratching their heads, Toy Story 5 actually does have several potentially interesting narrative avenues to explore. In particular, given both the existing series' conclusion and the issues with Lightyear, it's clear that Toy Story has unresolved business with Buzz. Although Woody got a fairytale ending with Bo, Buzz and the other characters remained in a state of limbo, destined to remain with Bonnie until she grows bored with them. Given that Buzz is arguably just as important to Toy Story as Woody, he is equally deserving of a definitive conclusion.
ittedly, the lukewarm audience response to Lightyear could indicate that there is limited appetite for another Buzz movie. However, by pairing him with familiar characters in the original Toy Story setting, Toy Story 5 could rectify many of Lightyear's mistakes while capitalizing on its promise. Likewise, the Toy Story franchise's greatest strength has long been in its ensemble. Given the array of richly drawn characters to choose from, including Mr. Potato Head, Rex, and Jessie, there is plenty of scope for the series to switch focus entirely while delivering more of what made previous entries so successful.
1 Toy Story 5 Won't Hurt The Franchise's Two Perfect Endings
Arguably the biggest risk in revisiting Toy Story is undermining one or both of the franchise's two previous finales. Both Toy Story 3 and 4 offered a satisfying conclusion that many would argue can only be damaged with constant tinkering. However, as the series has already demonstrated, returning to a story doesn't always hurt what came before.
Toy Story 4 has already proven that revisiting a franchise after an apparently perfect conclusion can help tie up loose ends that hadn't even occurred to the audience. By continuing Woody's story, Pixar added even greater depth to the character, making his previous adventures even more nuanced and layered in hindsight. With development for Toy Story 5 still in its very earliest stages, there's nothing to say that a new story can't do the same thing for other characters. It might seem risky, but the enduring success of the main Toy Story series suggests that Pixar is more than capable of succeeding against the odds.
