by Justin Cook
A fourth entry in the beloved Toy Story franchise has been rumored for years, but today Disney has officially announced that Toy Story 4 is in development, with John Lasseter attached to direct. The film will be released in June 2017.
This is shocking news considering how many people thought (and hoped) that Toy Story 3 would be the final film in the series. Since Toy Story 3, Disney has only made short films with the characters from Toy Story, including Toy Story of Terror and Hawaiian Vacation.
When Toy Story 3 was released in 2010 many thought that it was the perfect conclusion to one of the best trilogies of all time. The film received a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
Toy Story has always been one of Disney’s most successful franchises, so it is not entirely surprising that they will be making another film. What is most reassuring about Toy Story 4 is that the director of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, John Lasseter, will return to helm the film. In fact, Lasseter has not directed a Pixar film since 2011’s Cars 2. He has always been one of the best talents working at Pixar, and if nothing else it will be interesting to see where he takes these beloved characters next.
Pixar already has a strong lineup of films due out over the next few years, including Inside Out in June 2015, The Good Dinosaur in November 2015, and Finding Dory in June 2016. The studio has also announced that they are working on sequels to The Incredibles and Cars.
There is still no word if the cast from the first three films will be returning, but it would be hard to imagine another Toy Story movie without Tom Hanks and Tim Allen voicing Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
Source: Walt Disney Company (Chairman and CEO Bob Iger speaking at an earnings conference)
