Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, made a slightly unexpected announcement today to a board of investors, regarding Disney’s fourth quarter numbers. Iger revealed that another installment of the Toy Story film series is in development and will be released June 2017. The Toy Story franchise has made almost $2 billion dollars in movie ticket sales alone, before merchandising is even factored in. Clearly the brand was too valuable to lay dormant, despite the story seemingly concluding in the last installment.
Despite there being a strong financial incentive to make the film, skeptics should find a reason to find solace with the return of director, John Lasseter. Lasseter was the creator of the first two installments and is as highly regarded an animation director as there is in the industry. The fourth installment will surprisingly be written by actress Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Will McCormack. The fact that Lasseter has jumped back on board as director, signals that they have come up with a compelling new story. Here is what Lasseter had to say about the upcoming sequel:
“We love these characters so much; they are like family to us…We don’t want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what’s gone before. Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz’s story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee, and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie—and I wanted to direct it myself.”
The announcement of Toy Story 4 is a mild surprise, but it shouldn’t come as a total shock. Disney has consistently attempted to keep the limelight on the characters of Pixar’s Toy Story. Whether Woody, Buzz, and the gang show up as parade balloons on Thanksgiving day, on lunch boxes, or even on TV in their upcoming holiday special, Toy Story That Time Forgot, the property has endured. There haven’t been any additional details on the production. However it should be safe to assume Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and the rest of the cast will return, since they have participated in much smaller productions of the property.
Expect Toy Story 4 to be in theaters in June, 2017. Are you pumped for the return of Woody and Buzz? Let us know on the comment boards, and !