1. What's Been Said
There is, understandably, a large amount of skepticism around the film, for a couple of factors. The first is that Toy Story 3 rounded the trilogy off perfectly, and it doesn't appear there is anywhere else to go with the story. The second is that, with the exception of the Toy Story films, they haven't done sequels (or similar) particularly well - Cars 2, Monsters University - and there are worries that Pixar, so well known for its original output, is now making too many of these (Finding Dory, Cars 3, and The Incredibles 2 are also in the works). This film, however, will not be a direct continuation of the trilogy as such, rather telling a more separate story, as Jim Morris told the
Disney Latino blog (via
Slash Film):
"We are creating a great story. It is not a continuation of the end of Toy Story 3...There will not be so much focus on the interaction between the characters and children...The third film was a beautiful way to complete a trilogy. I don't think this film is part of this trilogy. It is a separate story..."
More cause for optimism is in the fact that so long has been left between the films, so it doesn't entirely feel like something they're rushing into, as they waited four years before even announcing they'd be doing a fourth film. And with the love of these characters everyone has, including the Brain Trust, they know that they've got to do it right, as John Lasseter said:
"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 anotherToy 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 movieand I wanted to direct it myself."
Are you excited to see Toy Story 4? Share your appreciation in the comments thread below.