Toy Story 4 is only just about to be released, but talk is already turning to whether there will be a Toy Story 5. Pixar's Toy Story franchise has been one of Disney's (and Pixar's) most successful endeavors, grossing more than $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office over the course of just three movies.
The first three installments, chronicling the adventures of Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks), and their gang of friends are beloved animated movies for many people, and fans are eagerly anticipating Toy Story 4, after a 9-year gap between the release of Toy Story 3 and 4. But the potential for more Toy Story adventures has already got fans talking.
Toy Story 4 is a surefire hit for Pixar even before its release, so it makes sense that Toy Story 5 must be a possibility, at least. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, since it took years for Pixar to even announce Toy Story 4. Here's all we know so far.
Toy Story 5 Hasn't Been Discussed (Yet)
The official word from Pixar is that there's been no discussion regarding Toy Story 5 yet. At least, that's coming from Josh Cooley, director of Toy Story 4. Toy Story 4, like its predecessor Toy Story 3, does end in such a way that it could be the end for the franchise, but Pixar couldn't resist returning to this series one more time if they have the right idea. So who's to say they won't do so at some point down the line? Pixar don't have any more sequels in the pipeline for now, and are concentrating on original movies, but the studio was in the same situation after Toy Story 3. While often a movie's sequel chances depends on its box office performance, this is unlikely to be the case for Toy Story 4, since its box office success is almost guaranteed, and early reviews promise that it more than lives up to the hype.
When Could Toy Story 5 Release?
If Toy Story 5 does get green lit by Pixar, it's not going to be a movie that is made quickly. First of all, the time needed to perfect the highly detailed animation means it takes an awful long time for any Pixar story to make it to the screen, but then there's script writing, cast and crew appointments, and voice recording to take into account. Not only that, but Pixar already has their next wave of releases planned out, which takes them up to 2023. So the absolute earliest we'd see Toy Story 5 would be 2024. Realistically, though, taking into account development time, plus the 11-year gap between Toy Story 2 and 3, and the 9-year gap between Toy Story 3 and 4, if Toy Story 5 does happen, it could be the late 2020s before we see it on our screens. With Tom Hanks and Tim Allen aged 62 and 66, respectively, one also has to consider how long they're going to want to keep voicing the toys.
Forky Is Getting His Own Disney+ TV Series
Forky is the newest character in the Toy Story universe and he's already causing quite a stir. The cute little spork is created by Bonnie, and bears pipe cleaner arms and a mismatched face. But while Bonnie adores him and includes him as one of her toys, Forky seems to suffer one existentialist crisis after another, mostly associated with whether or not he's actually a toy. Forky has a lot to learn about life and the world around him, and so he's set to get his own series of shorts released on Disney + streaming service. The series will be called Forky Asks a Question, and Veep star Tony Hale will continue to voice Forky as he asks pressing questions such as "What is Time?" and, more importantly, "What is Cheese?" With Pixar choosing to let Forky branch off in this way, it could mean that they really will call time on the Toy Story franchise and allow the characters to live on through these shorts. But as we've already learned through the release of Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, never say never when it comes to Toy Story.
