Toy Story 4 did alright at the box-office this weekend by some definitions, even if it certainly fell short of expectations, including the conservative projections from Disney/Pixar. One actually wonders if the trend toward sequelitis this summer points toward the need to retool box-office expectations overall, given that streaming is the future, but star Tim Allen was looking optimistic while heading into the weekend. That is to say, he wouldn’t be surprised at all if the overall Toy Story group ensemble films are over, but he believes there’s a way to continue. Is that shocking? Not really because Hollywood can’t let a good thing go, but the answer isn’t completely straightforward.
Allen made the statement while speaking with US Weekly and being quizzed about whether or not he saw more life in the franchise. Reading between the lines here, Allen doesn’t appear to envision or be aware of a Toy Story 5. Yet he does think that, much like Disney and Marvel Studios’ The Avengers, there more than a possibility of some offshoots happening:
“I can’t give that away. There’s very little to suggest that this isn’t, at the very least, [part of] a much bigger world. It reminds me of the Avengers movies — there are not only offshoots of characters that have simultaneous stories, but the world itself got much bigger … My sense is it’s done. My creative side says, at the same time things end, there’s a new beginning. I would find it difficult not to just continue.”
This actually isn’t the first time that Allen has compared these two Disney behemoth franchises. In late 2018, he insisted that Toy Story 4 would work (even though its predecessor seemed like an appropriate ending point) by reminding folks that Infinity War once seemed like an unachievable disaster, and it not only succeeded on a huge level but has now poised Avengers: Endgame to break the Avatar record with one last push on the near horizon.
This also sets up the real question. Who’ll get the first spinoff, which (to be perfectly real) will probably land on the Disney+ streaming service? The most obvious pick would be Duke Caboom, but the real fans are gonna go with Forky.
(Via US Weekly)
