When Disney-owned
Pixar announced in November that a fourth Toy Story movie was in the works with
original director John Lasseter at the helm, most assumed that meant another
outing for colourful, much-loved characters such as Woody the Cowboy, Buzz
Lightyear and Mr Potato Head. But according to Pixar president Jim Morris, in
comments made during an interview with the Disney Latino blog (as translated by
the Telegraph), the latest instalment in the most successful animated film
series of all time could look very different indeed.
The epic love story
between Andy and his playthings introduced in 1995’s Toy Story pretty much came
to a close in 2010’s Toy Story 3, with the teenager heading off to college after
passing his childhood possessions on to neighbour Bonnie. We’re told that
Bonnie’s toys, including Trixie the Triceratops and Mr Pricklepants, the
enthusiastic thespian hedgehog, will feature in the new movie. But beyond that,
it sounds like Toy Story 4 will head into entirely new territory.
“It’s not a
continuation of the end of the story of Toy Story 3,” said Morris of the new
film. “In temperament it is, but it will be a love story. It will be a romantic
comedy. It will not put much focus on the interaction between the characters and
children. I think it will be a very good movie.”
These comments come as
something of a shock. Retiring Woody, Buzz and the original gang is one thing,
but removing the link between plaything and owner which always seemed to sit at
the heart of the multiple Oscar-winning saga is quite another.
A simple shift to a
Bonnie-centred era had seemed the logical way forward following the events of
Toy Story 3. And Pixar has since released several bravura shorts focusing on the
little girl’s playthings and other characters introduced in the most recent
full-length outing. These have more than held their own against the old guard,
with the sartorially adaptable Ken (in Hawaiian Vacation) and Trixie the
Triceratops (in Christmas special Toy Story That Time Forgot) proving
particularly engaging.
There have also been
great moments featuring the original Toy Story crew: one of my favourite shorts
in the recent series is Partysaurus Rex, in which the timid dinosaur kicks off
an EDM megarave in a bathtub after Bonnie takes him to meet an entirely new gang
of water-based toys. But you can see why the film-makers might reckon it’s time
for Woody and Buzz to head up to the attic after two decades of keeping us
entertained.
What doesn’t make
sense is for Pixar boss Lasseter to jump the shark completely on the new outing,
which will be written by Celeste and Jesse Forever’s Rashida Jones and Will
McCormack. It strikes me that if you’re going to use the Toy Story brand for
your next movie, then that film should at least feel like a Toy Story
outing.
On the other hand,
this is a series that has taken more than $1.9bn worldwide, with Toy Story 3
breaking the $1bn barrier all by itself five years ago. So perhaps Pixar should
be praised for daring to radically reinvent its best-known creation rather than
simply taking the easy money.
The studio ought to be
smarting from the failure of weak sequels such as Cars 2 and Monsters University
to win traction with critics, and indeed Morris seems keen to point out during
the Disney Latino interview that another film is not simply being made to
exploit the series for financial gain. Fingers crossed Toy Story 4 proves him
right.
Letting go of Woody,
Buzz and the team will be distressing for those who remember the series’ best
moments: the Toy Story scene in which a rocket-propelled Buzz rescues Woody from
Scud, the evil Sid’s wonderfully monickered bull terrier; the musical segue in
Toy Story 2 in which Jesse the cowgirl sings of her heartbreak; the sublimely
terrifying garbage incinerator scene in Toy Story 3. But if the new film
restores Pixar’s reputation for innovation and excellence, it will have been
well worth bidding our old friends a fond farewell.
