Does Toy Story 4 indicate a new trend for Disney sequels?
With Toy Story 4 serving as the conclusion to the Toy Story film series, it’s hard not to ponder how Disney will handle its future sequels.
While most of us thought the Toy Story movies were over, Disney surprised us. Even though Toy Story 3 is hailed as the best of the bunch, Disney decided to make another film. This time, the film was focusing more on Woody and Bo Peep. No doubt a romance that had been hinted at but never fully explored and thus Toy Story 4 was born.
Since its release, the film has garnered lots of positive and negative press. It’s to be expected considering how beloved the third film is. To me, what stuck out the most was the ending of the film. Looking back at the franchise, it seems somewhat odd and not at all what most fans had in mind. With such an unusual conclusion, is Toy Story 4 going to be the new standard for future Disney’s sequels?
Before moving ahead, there will be spoilers for almost all of the Toy Story films. Most notably, there will be spoilers for Toy Story 4. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, be warned as there will be spoilers from this point on. This is your spoiler warning so close out now if you haven’t watched yet!
Looking at Toy Story 4 as a whole, the film was alright. It was nothing like its previous film but rather in the same camp as the 2nd film. As previously mentioned, the ending is what made the film such a miss. At the end of the film, Woody decides not to go with Bonnie and instead agrees to stay with Bo Peep as a “lost toy.” To say this was out-of-character would be a bit of an understatement.
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Throughout all of the films, we watched as Woody stood by Andy and did anything for him. As Gabby said, it’s the noblest thing a toy can do. It was everything Woody stood for as a character. In the end, it’s what made him such a great character. Frankly, it was confusing and something that really didn’t make any sense. Why would Woody give up, having a kid to travel the world with Bo Peep?
Toy Story is just one small page in Disney’s book, though. With multiple live-action projects and sequels planned for the future, what will Disney change next? For example, what should we expect in Frozen 2? Will Disney decide to change either Anna or Elsa’s character around to conclude the story? It’s a question that most people probably aren’t pondering, but one that begs to be answered.
Sometimes, changing a character can be good. Looking at the live-action version of Aladdin, Disney made Princess Jasmine a more well-rounded character. We learned more about her and were able to appreciate her as more than just a love interest. Changing a character isn’t always bad, but does come with a level of risk.
Nevertheless, it feels a little bit cheap to portray a character a certain way and then change them around completely for the sequel. Then again, maybe Toy Story 4 is a one-off and Disney won’t do it again. If this does indicate a trend though, it could end up being a big disappointment for fans.
What did you think of Toy Story 4? Do you think Disney is starting a new trend when it comes to their sequels? Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments.