The ending of Toy Story 4 left Buzz Lightyear in an uncertain situation, and the Lightyear spin-off didn’t work out. That’s why Buzz deserves a fitting farewell in Toy Story 5.
In 1995, something big happened in the world of animation. For years, Disney had been known for its amazing classics, and DreamWorks was growing as a major player. But then, a new player called Pixar arrived and completely amazed everyone.
Even though Pixar was part of Disney, it led the way in a new era of filmmaking using computer animation. Their breakthrough came with “Toy Story,” which is considered their greatest achievement. It resulted in three much-loved sequels that even won Oscars.
Is Toy Story 5 happening?
The Buzz Lightyear character, voiced by Tim Allen, has been cherished by generations of fans. His character journey deserves a proper conclusion, and Pixar should make it happen in “Toy Story 5.” “Toy Story 4” was a great movie and a satisfying farewell for one of the franchise’s main characters, but there’s still a need for one final sequel to truly wrap up the Toy Story series. Even though Disney and Pixar’s attempt to launch a new franchise with the Chris Evans-led “Lightyear” spin-off didn’t work out, the main “Toy Story” series should ensure that the Buzz Lightyear action figure fans adore gets the closure he deserves.
While Pixar hasn’t officially confirmed “Toy Story 5,” producer Mark Nielsen has mentioned the possibility, and there are financial incentives for Pixar to make a proper sequel to “Toy Story 4”. While Pixar’s try with the “Lightyear” movie didn’t go as planned, fans still really want more “Toy Story” stories with the original toys, especially Buzz Lightyear. Additionally, since the first “Toy Story” movie in 1995, Pixar and Disney have released many popular shorts, TV specials, and toys related to the franchise. Naturally, a genuine “Toy Story 5” would probably be popular, and there are also strong thematic reasons to consider making another sequel.
“Toy Story 4” provided a satisfactory conclusion only for Woody.
“Toy Story 4” was initially seen as the franchise’s conclusion, and Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, had stated that there wouldn’t be any more “Toy Story” movies after its release. It made sense that Hanks was ready to move on, especially because the ending of “Toy Story 4” provided a heartwarming conclusion to Woody’s story, which saw him embracing life as a Lost Toy and helping other toys find new owners.
However, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toys were left with an uncertain future under Bonnie’s care, facing the possibility of being outgrown or discarded eventually. “Toy Story 5” could offer a more satisfying resolution to Buzz’s journey and address the open-ended fate of the remaining toys.
Ways to Conclude the Toy Story Franchise with Toy Story 5
There are plenty of exciting possibilities for “Toy Story 5” to explore and give Buzz Lightyear’s character journey a satisfying conclusion, even if Woody doesn’t return. As Bonnie grows older and the future of her toys becomes uncertain, much like what happened with Andy in “Toy Story 3,” Buzz would have to step into the leadership role that Woody used to fill and guide the other toys through a final transition for many of them.
In the original “Toy Story,” Buzz initially doesn’t realize he’s a toy, but he eventually learns to embrace his role in bringing joy to children. “Toy Story 5” might explore what comes next when that mission is accomplished and show how Buzz discovers a new sense of purpose in the next chapter of his life as a toy.
“Toy Story 5″ doesn’t need to use character deaths, like Buzz Lightyear’s, to show what life after playtime looks like for a toy. In Toy Story 3, there was a scary moment when the toys were almost burned, but none of the main characters got hurt.” Instead, “Toy Story 5” could focus on Buzz Lightyear and other toys discovering a new, more lasting purpose in their lives beyond the quest for playtime and relevance in a world increasingly dominated by digital distractions. It could provide Buzz with his unique answer to the question that Woody addressed in “Toy Story 4”: What happens when a toy is played with for the last time?
Succeed of Toy Story Franchise
The “Toy Story” franchise, consisting of “Toy Story” (1995), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Toy Story 3” (2010), and “Toy Story 4” (2019), achieved an incredible box office success, earning a staggering $3.3 billion in total. This remarkable performance secured the franchise a place among the top 20 highest-grossing franchises of all time.
The first film in the series, “Toy Story,” earned over $365 million worldwide, despite having a modest budget of just $30 million. The sequel, “Toy Story 2,” nearly doubled those earnings, raking in more than $511 million.
The real box office triumph came with “Toy Story 3” and “Toy Story 4,” as each of them surpassed the $1 billion mark in their global earnings, making them massive hits upon their respective releases.
Due to the immense popularity of “Toy Story,” Disney Pixar decided to create a “prequel” to the franchise called “Lightyear.” This time, instead of having Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz Lightyear in the toys, they chose Chris Evans to voice the character. The movie took a different approach by focusing on the “real man Buzz Lightyear” rather than the toy version of the character.
“Lightyear” faced disappointment at the box office, earning only $224 million with a substantial budget of $200 million. To put it in perspective, a competing film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (2022), generated nearly $1 billion in box office revenue despite having a budget of just $80 million.
There are reports suggesting that Disney might consider reuniting the beloved Toy Story cast for another movie. In “Toy Story 4,” Buzz Lightyear and the other toys went their separate ways from Woody and Bo Peep, seemingly parting for good. The question now is whether a fifth film could bring these characters back together and provide a more satisfying conclusion to their stories.
