This week, Disney Pixar announced some truly horrific news. Personally I thought the rumour of this was dead and gone forever, but unfortunately it has now been resurrected. Toy Story 4 will be released on June 16th, 2017. Shortly after the third film was a hit, several rumours surfaced of a fourth film brewing and I immediately tried to think of any plausible storyline in which this would make sense. There’s nothing, no link I could come up with, no story which needed be told, nothing needs to be done to carry on the antics of Woody, Buzz, et al.
Andy gives away his toys at the end of Toy Story 3 before he embarks on a new life at college. This point was brought up in Toy Story 2 when the Prospector asks Woody “Do you really think Andy is going to take you to college, on his honeymoon?” And a third film was born. It’s the most bankable cartoon franchise, with the final movie making more the $1 Billion worldwide, however that is no excuse to make a fourth film and here’s why.
The end of Toy Story 3
This was perfect. From the start of the film, we can see that things have changed for Andy and his toys. He no long plays with them, he is preparing himself for college and life will have changed for everyone at the end. For anyone who watched it, this was a brilliant ending to the best animated trilogy ever. To make another one would completely ruin this. With Andy giving away his toys, a new chapter beings, will Toy Story 4 be the start of a new trilogy? I really hope not.
Toy Story 1 and 2
The first film created a world which everyone who had toys at some point in their lives could relate to with toys coming to life when no one is around and this carried on through the second film which smartly created more characters who were related to Woody and his past. It’s in this second film where they mention Andy going to college and having a honeymoon, they have planted the idea for the this. Both of the films make reference to the fact the one day Andy will grow up and grow out of his toys and film three is where they show that. In actually fact, Andy doesn’t play with his toys in film three until the end scene where he gives them away. I was surprised when they came out with Toy Story 3 but I’m glad they did. Toy Story 1 and 2 were really loved and they still are along with the final part. Toy Story 4 could be the film the undoes all of Pixar’s brilliant work.
The people have spoken
Pixar has never gone the way of any typical Disney movie, which is one of many reasons for their success. But with Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, they have gone the way of many other animated franchises and created sequels to phenomenal success. It’s with this and the fact that each film has been better than the last one (a controversial statement I know!) that they have broken the rules constantly. When rumours started to come out about Toy Story 4 in 2010, it was met with a lot of shock and anger, mainly because there was no where this franchise could go but here we are, waiting for Pixar to push ahead with these ludicrous plans. The fans love the trilogy and, as you can see from Empire’s survey below, they don’t want this film.
I think it’s safe to say that no one wants this film at all, three films was the perfect amount and now it’s about to be ruined by the fact the people are more obsessed with making money than making brilliant films. Has Pixar gone too far this time? In recent years, they have made questionable choices in the films they’ve made, including Cars, Cars 2 and Monsters University seeing how this is the studio who made such brilliant films like Wall E, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo.
Bottom line, this is one hell of a risk for Pixar to take, which is what they have done for years with their tricky ways of telling simple stories. However this time, I think they are toying with the wrong idea…
What do you think?
Keep. It. Reel.
Neels Reel Deel 
