Pixar Admits That 'Toy Story 3' Is the End of the 'Toy Story' Series

If the Toy Story franchise ended in your eyes after Toy Story 3 (2010), it turns out you’re right.

Well, partially.

Over a decade since the third Toy Story movie’s release, many fans still consider it the perfect sequel – not to mention the ideal way to end the beloved series. The long-awaited threequel saw Andy bidding farewell to Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and friends after giving his toys to Bonnie before departing for college. Its final scene remains one of Pixar Animation’s most emotional moments – which is why so many fans were surprised when the studio released another film nine years later.

But according to Pixar legend Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 3 is still technically the end of a franchise.

“So [Toy Story 3] was the end… of the Andy years,” Stanton explained to Empire. “Nobody’s being robbed of their trilogy. They can have that and never watch another if they don’t want to.”

Considering the overwhelmingly positive responses to Toy Story 3, it should come as no surprise that Toy Story 4 (2019) wasn’t quite as well-received as its predecessors (even if it does have 96% on Rotten Tomatoes). It did, however, strike a new emotional chord by splitting up the iconic gang in the film’s final moments, with Woody deciding to join Bo Peep (Annie Potts) as a “lost toy.”

That may have seemed like another natural end for the franchise, and yet we’re now less than a year away from another Toy Story film hitting theaters.

‘Toy Story 5’ and Pixar’s Growing Sequel Pipeline

Toy Story 5 is set to deal with the growing role technology plays in the lives of children. As per Stanton, who directs the film, it will see Bonnie abandon her toys after becoming enamored with her Lilypad tablet.

“It’s not even really about a battle so much as the realisation of an existential problem: that nobody’s really playing with toys anymore,” Stanton told Empire. “Technology has changed everybody’s lives, but we’re asking what that means for us — and to our kids. We can’t just get away with making tech the villain.”

Jessie is reportedly set to be the main character in Toy Story 5. “It’s all about Jessie, which is really cool,” Tim Allen said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! shortly after Disney reinstated the show post-Kimmel’s controversial suspension. “She’s in trouble, and she needs help. We’re all over, so she has to gather everybody.”

Pixar (and as The Walt Disney Company in general) has received its fair share of criticism for overproducing sequels in recent years. If the studio is to be believed, Coco 2 and Incredibles 3 are both on the way.

In 2023, Pixar’s Jay Ward teased a fourth film for Cars. “There are more Cars things brewing, I can’t say much more yet,” Ward said. “Cars has got a life that will keep going. I am working on some real fun projects right now that you will see in a couple of years.” There have also been whispers of an Inside Out 3 following the second film’s massive success at the box office in 2024.

Stanton defended the decision to make a fifth Toy Story movie, claiming that the strength of the Toy Story franchise is that it allows filmmakers to explore new changes and challenges facing the youth of today.

“I’ve always loved how this world allows us to embrace time and change,” he said. “There’s no promise that it stays in amber.”

Are you excited for Toy Story 5?