If there is a studio that can milk a franchise for decades and decades, it's Disney. Love 'em or hate 'em, Disney is the king of their craft.
"Toy Story" is one of the few movie trilogies to score nearly perfect ratings critically and have the entire series generally loved as a whole. It is a series that both children and adults can find a sense of enjoyment and relatability in. "Toy Story 3" delivered one of the most satisfying and emotional endings to any film. Andy, the human character that has been at the forefront of the series since 1995 has grown up and went to college, as have most of the people who have grown up with the films.
With that ending, the "Toy Story" series was laid to rest. But Hollywood has different plans, and for Disney, those plans include more "Toy Story" films.
The child that Andy ended up passing his toys onto at the conclusion, Bonnie, is still young and still very much in love with toys. There were also Bonnie's toys brought into the previous film that were just barely touched on, voiced by Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, and Jeff Garlin.
As opposed to last year's "Incredibles 2", which was a sequel that was warranted as the first film left so much ground that could still be covered and was a film fans were clamoring years for, "Toy Story 3" did not leave much in the way of future storyline potential, but did leave a tiny door open for the future.
Bringing Annie Pott's Bo Peep, one of Andy's original toys, back into the series after being a quick mention in "Toy Story 3" is an interesting idea. Also, having Keanu Reeves, Key & Peele, and Christina Hendricks as voice talent is never negative.
Having a new "Toy Story" movie out to help promote Disney's new "Toy Story Land" theme park is obviously important to the executives, but it should not be at the cost of ruining the story, either. Now, money aside, there may actually be a story the writers have wanted to tell that requires the story of Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the cast to continue.
A prequel with Andy still as a child would have been the easiest route to avoid damaging the last film's conclusion, but continuing off from the previous entry could potentially be for the better.
Quality-wise, the "Toy Story" films have not had even a small misstep yet. With Andy in college, the focus now shifts to another set of characters that the children of this generation can grow up with. Disney has already proven that they are not unwilling to bring several classic franchises back into the mainstream, from "Star Wars" and "Aladdin", to "Finding Nemo" and "Monsters Inc".
One chapter of the story has ended, and with "Toy Story 4", another has begun. "Toy Story 4" releases in a few weeks' time, so the jury's still out on whether the route Disney has taken will work.
