Woody, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Bullseye, Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Hamm, Jessie, Aliens, Buzz Lightyear head off to the Sunnyside Day Care when Andy becomes a college freshman in “Toy Story 3.” A sequel is set to be released in June 2017. Credit: Courtesy of TNS.
Set for release in June 2017, Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” will definitely be another classic that will not disappoint fans.
The first “Toy Story” defined a part of my own experiences as a 6-year-old girl. I related to Andy, and I secretly wished my toys would come to life because of my captivation with Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody after the watching the first movie.
Throughout the years that followed, “Toy Story” still was a movie that I could always watch regardless of my age, and when I found out about the fourth movie, I was completely thrilled.
The “Toy Story” series became a part of my identity because the movie taught me to respect my toys more than anything else.
Remember that scene in “Toy Story 2” when Jessie the cowgirl was abandoned by her owner, and left for donation?
That scene was memorable and left a mark on me emotionally. I realized how important toys could be — and I felt guilty for how I treated my Barbies, which I sometimes decapitated when I wasn’t cutting their hair.
It sounds dramatic, but there is no other Disney movie that almost makes you feel like the characters are a old, long friend that will always be a special part of your life.
So the obvious opposition for having an additional movie would be that the further the series prolongs, the more the movies potentially risk losing their identity as Disney Pixar’s classic.
The obvious rebuttal: so long as there are children who want to buy and play with toys, the “Toy Story” series will never lose its identity.
I will be confident enough to say that just as our lives change and grow, that is exactly what the “Toy Story” series does and will continue to do.
We cannot compare the series to the many Disney movies that have been ruined by sequels, such as “Lilo & Stitch” or even “Mulan.”
Pixar has proven that its teams always bring hard work and exceptional quality plots to its movies, which allow them to be well-made films.
The Toy Story series also stands as a classic because of actors such as Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.
There would not be these iconic friendships that we have all grown to love without them, and so long as they stand behind Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the series will continue to thrive.
Some might say the series should not continue because Andy has grown and left to college. Andy, however, was not what made the movies special, rather, the dedication of the toys to their owner was what defined the movie.
The fourth installment, of course, will not be the same with Bonnie presumably as the new owner of the toys.
Different does not mean it will disappoint, however.
