Stop the Sequels: Why we Don’t Need a Toy Story 42 min read

Unpopular opinion: the world does not need another Toy Story movie.

The Toy Story 4 trailer was released on Tuesday, featuring new characters, like a spork named Forky, while also sparking outrage amongst fans who were concerned about main character Andy’s new look.

What I want to know is who asked for another Toy Story?

Toy Story 3 wrapped up the series perfectly, with Andy giving his toys over to a little girl who, presumably, would continue on the next generation of adventures.

Cue tears and that’s the end of story—there’s no need for a sequel.

However, we’ve now been presented with yet another movie in the now tetralogy.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against any of these beloved characters, from those cute three-eyed aliens to Buzz Lightyear, or the feelings of nostalgia derived from watching these movies, which have spanned over a decade.

But a successful franchise should know when to quit while ahead, and unfortunately, that’s not always the case (look at Star Wars).

I’m not saying that this new film will not be successful, as it will certainly bring the Toy Story franchise to a new generation.

However, this movie was originally supposed to be a standalone sequel, with all new characters, but due to a change in directors, Toy Story 4 will return to its roots.

Based off of the trailer, the movie seems to contain a plotline similar to the original, which was released 23 years ago, with a new character, a spork rather than a space ranger this time around, and a slew of new adventures with overarching themes of friendship and acceptance.

It’s predictably wholesome, but where’s the creativity?

Although hundreds of new Twitter memes predict Forky to be an extremely relatable character (spork undergoing an identity crisis), will this confused utensil carry the franchise into the future?

The creation of this movie cost millions of Dollars to make and it’s relying on a built-in viewer base, and a loveable spork, to make millions more.

However, with this money, couldn’t the film community, or even Disney Pixar, have created new characters, new plotlines, or even new universes?

Let’s curb the “infinity and beyond” mentality of film sequels and focus on being more creative.

Photo by Zakaria Ahada on Unsplash