Credit: Disney / PixarWhile Disney and Pixar fans try to wrap their head around the fact that there’s another Toy Story sequel in the works, Pixar CEO Peter Docter has shed some light on what we can expect from Toy Story 5 (TBA) and how it will follow on from Toy Story 4 (2019).
When Disney and Pixar recently announced that Toy Story, Frozen (2013), and Zootopia (2016) are each getting brand-new sequels, there’s no doubt that many were surprised that a fifth Toy Story film is in development.
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After all, the fourth film, while a generally well-received installment and a huge box office hit, is widely considered by fans to have pushed the franchise’s luck a little too far, especially seeing as Toy Story 3 (2011) had already ended the series perfectly.
So if Toy Story 4 was pushing its luck, what exactly can the new Toy Story sequel do that hasn’t been done before? Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) parted ways at the end of the fourth film, and a reunion will just feel far too premature at this point.
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With that said, the Toy Story sequel is yet to get any sort of release date, and for all we know, it could be a few years out. Either way, it’s happening, and in an interview with The Wrap, Docter at least offered some insight into what we can expect from the upcoming sequel.
“The thing we’ve been really trying to do, and this has been the case for a while, is we’ve been looking at them a little bit like, okay, we’re not planning for the future,” Docter admitted. “When we made the first Toy Story, we had no idea there would be a Toy Story 2. We’re just trying to make this movie.”
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While it’s a little disconcerting to learn that Toy Story 5 isn’t going to be an organic sequel (though no surprise), there’s some comfort to be taken from the fact that the filmmakers are focused on the film at hand, as opposed to thinking too far ahead and on franchise-building.
And though it would seem that another Toy Story sequel wasn’t always on the cards, Docter is confident that it will have “some really cool stuff that [audiences] haven’t seen before.” Exactly what this is remains to be seen, but it will take us to “unexpected places”.
“In making the movie,” Docter continued, “it takes you places, unexpected places, which is what I love about the creative process. If I knew exactly what I was doing when I started making a movie, there’d kind of be no point in making it. I discover so much along the way. [I] come home wiser and more worldly.”
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While we can all roll our eyes at the fact that Disney and Pixar are churning out another Toy Story sequel, on the other hand, it’s refreshing to hear that sequels aren’t always on the forefront of their minds when working on a film.
With that said, the fact that Toy Story 5 is happening despite there having never been plans, it does speak to the fact that it’s a studio-mandated sequel, as opposed to a project born largely on creativity.
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Fans will undoubtedly be worried that Toy Story 5 will kill the franchise, — a fate no franchise is immune to, especially when you look at the poor state the once-thriving Marvel Cinematic Universe is in — but it’s hard to imagine a film in this series performing badly.
Perhaps, like its four predecessors, Toy Story 5 is destined for great success. Or maybe the franchise really is pushing its luck this time, and that last year’s underwhelming spin-off film Lightyear (2022) may have been a sign of things to come in this franchise.
Related: Pixar CEO Explains Why Buzz Lightyear Film Tanked at Box Office – Inside the Magic
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