Toy Story 4’s ending left Buzz Lightyear in limbo, and the Lightyear spin-off failed. So Buzz deserves a proper send-off in Toy Story 5.
In 1995, the world of animation changed forever. After decades of Disney’s extraordinary classics, and DreamWorks slowly rising to become a titan, a new name entered the fold and blew people away: Pixar.
While still under the umbrella of Disney, Pixar pioneered a new age of filmmaking with computer-animated movies, beginning with their biggest and best achievement: Toy Story, spawning three beloved, Oscar-winning sequels.
Is Toy Story 5 happening?
The Tim Allen-voiced version of Buzz Lightyear that generations of fans have come to love deserves proper closure to his character journey, and Pixar has to make it happen in Toy Story 5. Toy Story 4 was an excellent film and an emotionally satisfying send-off for one of the franchise’s main characters, but one final sequel is needed to wrap up the Toy Story series truly. While Disney and Pixar’s hopes of using the Chris Evans-led Lightyear spin-off to launch a new franchise were dashed, the main Toy Story series should still do right by the Buzz Lightyear action figure fans know and love.
Pixar hasn’t officially announced that Toy Story 5 is happening, but producer Mark Nielsen has previously speculated that it could be on the table, and there are financial reasons for Pixar to release a proper follow-up to Toy Story 4. Even though the gamble on a Lightyear movie failed for Pixar, there’s still much fan interest in straightforward Toy Story media focused on the original toys, including Buzz Lightyear. In addition, Pixar and Disney have released several popular shorts, tv specials, and toys since the 1995 release of Toy Story. Of course, a true Toy Story 5 would also succeed, but there are thematic reasons for another sequel.
Toy Story 4 Only Gave Woody A Proper Ending
Toy Story 4 was expected to be the franchise’s finale, and Tom Hanks — the voice of Woody — said there would be no more Toy Story films after its release. It makes sense that Hanks would be ready to move on from the franchise, as Toy Story 4‘s ending brings heartwarming closure to Woody’s story, setting him up for life as a Lost Toy, helping to connect other toys with new owners. However, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys return to an uncertain and indefinite future with Bonnie, still at risk of eventually being outgrown or thrown away. Toy Story 5 can give Buzz’s journey a more satisfying conclusion.
How Toy Story 5 Can Finish The Franchise
There’s a world of possibilities for a Toy Story 5 to explore to bring Buzz Lightyear’s character journey to a satisfying end, even if Woody does not return. As Bonnie ages and the fate of her toys becomes an issue, just as it did for Andy in Toy Story 3, Buzz would need to fill the leadership void left by Woody’s absence and guide the other toys through a final transition for many of them. In the original Toy Story, Buzz doesn’t know he’s a toy, but ultimately he learns to embrace his role in children’s lives. Toy Story 5 could teach Buzz what happens when that’s done.
Toy Story 5 wouldn’t necessarily need to kill Buzz Lightyear or any other characters to explore what retirement looks like for a toy. Toy Story 3 flirted with that dark ending in the infamous incinerator scene but correctly avoided major character deaths. However, a Toy Story 5 could see Buzz Lightyear and others explore a new, more permanent meaning to their lives beyond fighting for playtime and relevance in an increasingly digital world and give Buzz his unique answer to the question Woody answered in Toy Story 4: what happens when a toy is played with for the last time?
Succeed of Toy Story Franchise
Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019) produced a massive $3.3 billion at the box office, which gave the franchise a spot inside the top-2o for the highest-grossing franchises of all time. The original produced a worldwide box office total of more than $365 million on a budget of just $30 million. From there, the sequel nearly doubled its numbers, with more than $511 million. Both Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 would go on to generate more than $1 billion apiece in each of their debuts.
Because of the popularity of Toy Story, Disney Pixar took a shot at producing a “prequel” to the franchise titled Lightyear. Instead of starring Tim Allen— the voice of Buzz Lightyear– the movie went in a direction with Chris Evans as the voice and said the film would be focusing on the “real man Buzz Lightyear,” and not the toy.
However, Lightyear fell flat at the box office, producing an abysmal $224 million at the box office with a budget of $200 million. Just for reference, the film’s competition, Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), generated nearly $1 billion on a budget of just $80 million.
After those failures, Disney Pixar has reportedly had to go back to the drawing board.
Disney Pixar is planning a sequel to Inside Out (2015), which is expected to be a big box office draw when it is released in 2024. However, beyond the Inside Out sequel, Disney has not announced what will be coming in 2025 and 2026.
Some reports are coming forward that Disney could “return to the well” and bring back its beloved Toy Story cast for one more movie. For those who saw Toy Story 4, you know that Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toys parted ways with Woody and Bo Peep, seemingly moving on forever. Could a fifth film bring the characters back together and give a better ending?
