The way the toys hold their kid owner as some sort of deity is essential to Toy Story. The interaction itself was actually rather minimal, with the relationships between the different playthings driving the plot, but they were always motivated by the child. That seems so f**king obvious, but it's something the series has been slowly distancing itself from. The entire middle act of Toy Story 3 worked independently of children, and the run of shorts since has only furthered the distance, downplaying the importance of the toy characters being, well, toys. Instead, they're just a bunch of characters who go on crazy adventures; last year's Toy Story That Time Forgot was simply Woody And Buzz Go Prehistoric, (with a retread of the "toy doesn't realise he's a toy" schtick from the first film tacked on at the last minute). Fair enough, after twenty years strong personalities are going to become bigger than the original idea, but at what point does it all go too far and Toy Story just start being Story? Answer: the point we're at now. The recently announced Toy Story 4 will, according to Pixar President Jim Morris, "not put much focus on the interaction between the characters and children", essentially meaning the film (which the studio is so aware is unnecessary they're making clear it isn't a "continuation" of the trilogy) will jump the shark and focus entirely on the toys as independent characters. That's probably because Pixar has already covered all the key elements of toys (after favourites, kids who destroy them, collectibles and moving on, nothing's left to explore), but surely that's a sign it's time to call it quits?
