Work on the next installment in Pixar's Toy Story saga is well underway as actor Tom Hanks, who has been the voice of Sheriff Woody for twenty years now, returned to Pixar early this month to begin recording for Toy Story 4.
On December 2, Hanks posted a time lapse video of his drive to the Emeryville animation powerhouse on Twitter.
Though the cast for the film has yet to be officially unveiled, it's probably safe to assume that the rest of the original cast members will reprise their roles. The Toy Story franchise has one of the most diverse and talented ensembles in any animated film series, ranging from big stars like Hanks to legendary comedians like Don Rickles. If you've ever seen behind-the-scenes footage of the actors recording their dialogue, you'll know how much fun the actors seem to have doing their job. If you haven't, well, have a look:
Toy Story 4 is slated for release on June 15, 2018.
This past November, Pixar surprised the world by announcing that they are currently working on a fourth installment in the beloved Toy Story franchise. Though many believed that 2010's Toy Story 3 would be the final chapter of the series, Toy Story 4 has been in production since 2012 and will hit theatres in the summer of 2017. We learned a little about the film's plot at D23 Expo last week.
Before the animation panel at D23 started last Friday, Toy Story 4 director and Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter revealed that the upcoming film, which we had previously known would be a love story, will revolve around Woody and Bo Peep.
To fans of the Toy Story films, this was a surprising reveal. Bo Peep, of course, was Woody's love interest in Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Though she was an important character in the first two films, she was absent from Toy Story 3, which takes place about a decade after Toy Story 2. In that time period, Bo Peep eventually parted from the rest of Andy's toys and was presumably sold off at a yard sale or donated. During Pixar's presentation at D23, Lasseter revealed that Toy Story 4 will see Buzz and Woody going off on a quest in search of Bo Peep.
I have to wonder, will the Bo Peep in Toy Story 4 be the same one from Toy Story and Toy Story 2? Surely others were made. If that were the case, it would make for a very interesting story. How would Woody react to finding the one that he loves, only to realize she has no recollection of ever having known him?
From left to right: John Lasseter, Will McCormack, Josh Cooley, Galyn Susman
The film's story, Lasseter explained, was inspired by him and his wife, Nancy. WALL-E and Finding Dory director Andrew Stanton penned the film's initial treatment, and Rashida Jones and Will McCormack were later brought on to work on the script. Galyn Susman will produce and Josh Cooley, director of the new short Riley's First Date?, will co-direct.
I'll admit, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of a fourth Toy Story. The original three films form what is one of the greatest trilogies of all time, and like many people I thought Toy Story 3 wrapped things up beautifully. Doing a fourth one is risky business, considering it has three phenomenal predecessors to live up to. However, Pixar knows this, and I have to believe that they truly are making another installment in the series because they have a story that demands to be told. The little information that we got out of D23 certainly has me intrigued, and there sure seems to be a lot of love being poured into the film, which is very reassuring.
To celebrate the original Toy Story's 20th anniversary this year, the presentation finished off with a live performance of "You've Got a Friend In Me" by Randy Newman himself. Green Army Men descended from the ceiling and were joined on stage by other Toy Story characters as confetti erupted around the stage, ending the panel with a bang.
You can watch Inside the Magic's brief recap of the presentation here:
This weekend was jam-packed with excitement for Disney, Pixar, and animation enthusiasts alike, as Disney hosted its fourth biannual D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. The expo's animation panel, featuring looks at upcoming films from both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, took place on Friday, and Pixar certainly did not come empty-handed.
The three-hour panel got off to a rousing start when Pixar and Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter took the stage wielding a shirt cannon. Known for wearing his signature (and custom-made) Hawaiian shirts, the animation honcho proceeded to gleefully bombard the crowd with, yup, Hawaiian shirts.
Pixar's presentation provided further details and looks at the upcoming The Good Dinosaur and next year's Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory. Additionally, the studio surprised the crowd in officially unveiling an all-new original film; Coco. The film was announced back in 2012 as "the untitled Pixar movie about Día de los Muertos," but we had heard little about the project since then. Many even believed the film to have been abandoned, but fortunately this is not the case. Coco will arrive in theatres in the fall of 2017. Lastly, Pixar previewed the recently-announced Toy Story 4 and gave new details regarding the film's plot. The presentation ended with a live performance of "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Randy Newman as Toy Story characters hit the stage in celebration of the original Toy Story film's 20th anniversary this year.
Full posts about each of the films previewed at the expo are on the way; stay tuned.
Cars 3 and The Incredibles 2, though present on the studio's poster slate on the expo floor pictured at the top, were absent from the presentation since they are still both in the early stages of development and will not be released until after 2017. We did, at the very least, get a look at those two films' logos.
All in all, it was an exhilarating day that left fans eager to experience what the future of Pixar has in store.
Edit: Disney posted a great brief recap on Twitter of all that went down during D23 Expo's animation panel. Check it out:
Inside Out is just around the corner and has been receiving rave reviews so far, but let us not forget about all the other treats Pixar has in the oven right now. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month, Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter gave a brief preview of the studio's upcoming slate, sharing minor plot details about the much anticipated The Good Dinosaur as well as Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003's Finding Nemo.
The Good Dinosaur, which Lasseter says will put a "unique Pixar spin on the dinosaur world" will follow the Apatosaurus Arlo, voiced by Lucas Neff, and a boy named Spot on a venture home to the Clawed-Tooth Mountains. On their journey, the unlikely duo will encounter a variety of different dinosaurs, including a Pterodactyl, a Velociraptor, and of course, a trio of T-Rexes (perhaps playing a similar role to the trio of sharks in Finding Nemo?), to name a few. The film is described as "a boy and a dog story, but the roles are reversed. Arlo, the dinosaur, is the boy in the story and Spot is the dog."
In the story, which takes place in an alternate universe in which the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs never struck, dinosaurs can speak whereas humans cannot, which should make for an interesting dynamic between the two lead characters. Pixar is reportedly taking a more photo-realistic approach to the movie's look; “the level of believability we’re striving for in this film is going to be breathtaking,” raved Lasseter.
With the film a mere six months away, the first teaser for The Good Dinosaur could drop any day now; expect to see it for sure by the time Inside Out hits theaters next month.
Following The Good Dinosaur next summer is a sequel that, when it was first announced, most were not expecting to ever see. In 2016, Pixar will dive back into the colorful world of the ocean to meet up once again with Marlin, Nemo, and of course, the forgetful but endearing Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. Finding Dory will delve deeper into the titular regal blue tang's origins and will not focus on her literally getting lost, but rather on her finding herself—and her family. The new film, set in the waters of the Pacific Ocean just six months after the events of Finding Nemo, will introduce Dory's parents (voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), as well as a whale-shark named Destiny who "thinks she’s a whale, but [is] actually a shark” and an octopus.
Finding Dory arrives in theaters June 17, 2015.
Lastly, Lasseter very briefly spoke about Toy Story 4, which he is directing and is scheduled for a June 2017 release. He described the film as "not as much a continuation of the past films, but a brand new chapter in the Toy Story world," which should be reassuring to those worried that a fourth film in the series would taint what is regarded as a near-flawless trilogy.
With all this and even more in store, the future is looking bright for Pixar. Though the first of these films is still six months away, Inside Out will be here in less than three weeks to help ease your appetite for Pixar goodness.
I think it's safe to say that this is one announcement no one saw coming. There had been murmurings of a fourth Toy Story on several occasions before, but most fans had taken them with a grain of salt. Millions of jaws smacked the ground hard today when Disney and Pixar confirmed that Toy Story 4 is indeed happening.
Disney CEO Bob Iger broke the news during an earnings call, and confirmed that Pixar and Disney Animation honcho John Lasseter, who helmed the first two Toy Story films, will return to direct the fourth installment in the series.
Toy Story 4 will arrive in theaters on June 17th, 2017 and will reportedly be a love story. Lasseter said this of Pixar's approach towards sequels in an interview the the LA Times:
"A lot of people in the industry view us doing sequels as being for the business of it, but for us it's pure passion. We only make sequels when we have a story that's as good as or better than the original. We don't just, because of the success of a film, automatically say we're going to do a sequel and then figure out what we're going to do."
John Lasseter and the crew behind Toy Story 4
In true Pixar fashion, Lasseter and studio veterans Lee Unkrich (who directed Toy Story 3), Pete Docter, and Andrew Stanton came up with the story for the film over lunch one day in his office, he told the LA Times. He and Stanton spent the past two years crafting the story and later brought in Rashida Jones and Will McCormack to pen the script, having seen their 2012 comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever. Galyn Susman, producer of last year's television special Toy Story of Terror and the upcoming Toy Story That Time Forgot, will produce the fourth full-length Toy Story film.
I leave you with a song from this year's Muppets Most Wanted which, funnily enough, predicted today's big announcement.
Back in 2010, Pixar delivered the third entry of what is probably their most beloved franchise; the phenomenal Toy Story 3. With a finale that touched the hearts of millions across the globe, many assumed that 3 was also the end of the Toy Story series. After all, it was a pretty beautiful ending.
But a couple of months back, rumors started popping up about a Toy Story 4. Tom Hanks, the voice behind Sheriff Woody, stated in an interview that he believed Pixar was currently working on TS4. Later on, John Lasseter also teased about a fourth installment. Then there's also this video of Tim Allen, AKA Buzz Lightyear, talking about the possibility of a fourth Toy Story film:
So will there be a Toy Story 4? We can't be sure for now, but I'd say the chances of it happening aren't very big. Lee Unkrich (director of TS3) himself stated that they tried to end the series the best they could with the third film, but that they are keeping the characters alive with a series of Toy Story short films; the Toy Story Toons.
So far, two Toy Story Toons have been released; Hawaiian Vacation and Small Fry. Both have been well-received by audiences, and have left fans hungry for more.
Some pretty big news has been dropped this week. Yes folks, we are getting more Toy Story. No, not another feature film, but rather, three new Toons will join the library, along with two original 22-minute long TV specials!
These are likely being worked on at Pixar's satellite studio in Vancouver, which has thus far worked on Air Mater and Small Fry. The TV specials are scheduled for October 2013 and Spring 2014, and will probably air on either ABC or the Disney Channel. Aside from that, we don't know much about these half-hour specials, but expect them to bring the Toy Story characters to life in a remarkable and unique way.
As for the three new shorts, there have been a few rumors flying around about one called Partysaurus Rex. You can tell by the title that Rex would likely be one of the central characters in this short. Also, some tiny bits of plot details regarding this short were spilled by electronic artist BT a while ago. He said:
"I’m in the middle of scoring a film for Pixar right now. It’s a short for Toy Story, and I’m not allowed to say the whole story, but quite literally, it’s like a Toy Story rave, and I’m actually not kidding either. Like, the toys get into all these shenanigans and it’s like pounding club music, this thing. So it’s really not very Pixar, but in like a really hysterical way, everyone laughs so hard when they see it. It’s really exciting to work with those guys."
After reading BT's comments on the short film, I am quite intrigued and eager to see it. While Wikipedia claims that Partysaurus Rex will debut this fall, nothing has been offcially announced by Pixar or Disney. Chances are, however, that this short and possibly the other two will show up on either the Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 2 or on the Brave DVD and Blu-ray.
So there you have it. If you were worried that we wouldn't be seeing much of the Toy Story characters in the future, hopefully your anxieties have been eliminated, because it seems to me that Woody and Buzz aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Back in June, it was announced to the public that there is an upcoming Pixar film scheduled for release on November 27, 2013, which would make 2013 the first year that Pixar would release two movies in the same year (the first one would be Monsters University, set for June 21, 2013). The only thing we were told about this November 2013 release was that it would be an original project and not a sequel/prequel. Other that that and the release date, no further details were given.
Last week we found out that another untitled Pixar film is now scheduled for May 30, 2014. This time, however, it was not specified whether or not this project will feature original characters or if it will be expanding on a previously created Pixar universe. Could it possibly the much rumoured Toy Story 4? Or is it finally time to move past the "sequel era" at Pixar and once again go back to making all original stories and characters all the time, which is what many Pixar fans would prefer, unless, that is, if they were making a sequel to The Incredibles. Whatever this movie is, I'm sure it will one day sit on millions of people's shelves as a treasured classic, like Toy Story, or Finding Nemo.
A few weeks ago, Tom Hanks commented about a Toy Story 4 being in production. Of course, it wasn't close to being an official announcement, but a couple more things have been popping up here and there indicating that we might actually see Andy's (or should I say, Bonnie's) toys in another adventure some day.
First off, IMDb (Internet Movie Database) says that Toy Story 4 is currently in the works, and is scheduled for release in 2015. Even though IMDb has listed some films (including Monsters, Inc. 2, now titled Monsters University) several months before being officially announced, it has also been wrong many times. What I think happened is that the people of IMDb are taking what Tom Hanks said seriously, so they listed it on the website for release in 2015. Why 2015 you ask? Well, Pixar has stated themselves that their typical film takes usually around four years to complete. Four years from now it will be 2015. So I wouldn't really take this seriously, it's probably all just a big mix-up.
Now, John Lasseter was recently on BBC Breakfast to talk about the release of Cars 2. He was asked about Tom Hanks' comments regarding a fourth installment in the Toy Story series, and he said, smiling:
"Yeah. I found that very interesting too!" followed by, "We haven't announced anything yet so I can't tell you." The presenters asked him if he would like to tell them more about it, but he simply said "No."
He then quickly, but humorously, changed the subject back to Cars 2. Watch for yourself here.
Also, if you wish to see when Tom Hanks told BBC that there would be a TS4, click here and skip to 2:28.
Could this mean that we might actually see a fourth Toy Story film? Is IMDb right? Was John Lasseter just messing with our minds? Is it all just a misunderstanding? When will all these questions be answered???
I honestly would not mind another Toy Story. Many people are getting all upset that there might be a TS4 because they think that Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to the series, which it was. But not only was it a flawless ending, but you can also look at it as the beginning of a new chapter. After all, Andy's toys are now with Bonnie and her toys, so there are many possibilities with all these characters waiting to be explored. Of course, the Toy Story Toons are already doing that, but a feature film could mean an even bigger and more thrilling story with the characters, both old and new. So if there ever is a Toy Story 4, don't worry about it, Pixar will not let us down. And if there isn't, well, that's perfectly fine too.
Last year, Pixar's beloved Toy Story series ended with Toy Story 3, and the studio did an excellent job ending the saga, and is probably one of the best endings to a film series ever! However, Tom Hanks, voice of Woody, recently stated in an interview that there is currently a fourth installment in the works. The exact words he used when asked if there would be a TS4 were:
"I think there will be, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I think they're working on it now."
This on one hand, could be some pretty bad news, but in another hand, could be very awesome news! I really don't think that another Toy Story is necessary at all, since they ended it so perfectly with '3', plus they're doing the 'Toons' to keep the characters alive, but whatever Pixar decides to do, I'm cool with it. After all, if they are doing a '4', they must've come up with a really really wicked idea that MUST be told. Pixar has even stated that they will only make sequels if they have a story that's worth telling.
I'm not too sure why Tom said they are working on a Toy Story 4, but there are a lot of reasons why he might've said it. He could've been joking, he could've been expressing his desire for a fourth film, or he might have just gotten mixed up with upcoming Toy Story Toons.
Only time will tell if we will see the toys in another feature film sometime in the future. For now, if you want more of Woody and Buzz, catch Hawaiian Vacation, now in theaters with Cars 2, and the next Toy Story Toon arrives in theaters this November alongside Disney's The Muppets.
