“You’ve got a friend in me,” 29 years ago, that song made its debut in the Pixar movie Toy Story. Breaking $3.3 billion in box office sales, winning many Academy Awards, and achieving a spot in the Guinness World Record for the First Feature-length Computer-animated Movie, Toy Story has become a staple when it comes to watching movies with families and children. After many sequels and short films, Pixar announced that Toy Story 5 is set to release in fall of 2026. But the real question is, are audiences ready for another Toy Story film?
Toy Story is one of the most famous movies when it comes to Pixar. It’s so popular that there are even video games based on the movie. No matter who you ask, everyone has the same answer of ‘yes, I’ve seen Toy Story’. Ranking with 100% Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are the perfect family movies and clearly, movie critics agree, in addition, Toy Story 3 and 4 also rank above 97% Rotten Tomatoes with each movie being a continuation of the next. They involve different chapters of the toy’s owner Andy, what he goes through in life and eventually, Bonnie’s life. Even though these movies are landing on the top of the charts, will that be the same for Toy Story 5?
Toy Story 4 was released in 2019 and scored 97% Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is about the toys’ adventures outside of Bonnie’s home. The movie was released 9 years after its previous sequel and released 14 years after the original. After watching Toy Story 3, the franchise was at a good spot to end and the story wrapped up in a great way. I remember hearing about Toy Story 4 and I was a little hesitant, and in my mind, I was done. No more movies needed to be made. But, after watching that movie, I have changed my tune. Toy Story 4 gave a whole new adventure for Woody and his friends. It changed up the plot of the films. The film was an adventurous, emotional, creative hour and forty minutes. After Toy Story 4, people thought that Pixar was done, but they couldn’t be more wrong. This next film is set to be a whole new story that Woody and his friends go through.
The plot of the upcoming movie, Toy Story 5, can be summarized in three words, ‘Toys meet tech’, relating to the toys’ struggles with technology. Today, many children are given phones at 6 years old and as generations progress, the need for physical toys depletes. Most children are fascinated by technology and games on their phones and no one wants to play with toys anymore. It is rumored that the villain in this movie will be Buzz Lightyear and personally, I would love to see him be a villain if that is true. In addition, there are additional rumors that Toy Story 6 will be the final film in the franchise.
The original Toy Story was amazing because of its animation, with the quality of it improving in the next 3 movies as time went on and as technology developed. That’s exactly what will happen in this movie, the animation will be great and the theme on point with what actually happens in the world today. Those who have grown up watching the Toy Story movies will not be disappointed because they have witnessed the change in children’s playtime, and since toys are being neglected in favor of technology, I believe that with such a relatable plot, the movie will greatly succeed.
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