Toy Story 5 just premiered in theaters, and a Toy Story 6 already seems inevitable. Should Pixar step back into the franchise, they need to fix a few things.
The latest Toy Story movie is directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) and Kenna Harris, with Lindsey Collins serving as a producer. The fifth entry in the iconic franchise features the voices of Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Greta Lee as Lilypad, Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, and Tony Hale as Forky. Joining them are John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, Jeff Bergman as Mr. Potato Head, Anna Vocino as Mrs. Potato Head, Annie Potts as Bo Peep, and more.
In unsurprising news, Toy Story 5’s box office numbers have been massive. The film opened to $160 million domestically, a major high and the biggest opening in the franchise’s history. The new record was also the second-largest animated opening weekend in history, just behind The Incredibles 2 ($182.7 million). Overseas, Toy Story opened to $152 million, leading to a total opening of $312 million, an absolutely incredible debut.
Toy Story 6 needs to get back to the basics if it’s happening
Given Toy Story 5’s stellar opening, it seems all but destined that a sixth film will happen. Even though Toy Story 5 seems to end in a great place for the franchise, Hollywood (and Disney specifically) will want to keep going if the franchise is still this popular. Given that fact, it’s worth considering what a Toy Story 6 might look like. While the fifth film seemed to hit all the marks you’d want, a sixth movie should get back to the basics in a few key ways.
Specifically, it would be nice to see the movies focus more on what the toys are up to in their day-to-day, similar to how the first two movies operated. It would also be great to see the toys we know and love, including Woody, come back to the forefront of things. After leaving the toys behind in Toy Story 4, Tom Hanks’ character returns for 5, but is largely just hanging around in this movie with nothing to do. The movie still did a great job of handling characters like Jessie, but it would be great to see Woody and his adventures get the light in the future.
It would also be nice to see Pixar get back to the basics and make the movies about the toys once again. Throughout the last few movies, the films have largely focused on the role the toys play in the lives of their humans. This has resulted in some amazing thematically driven stories, but after the latest movie and how it ends, it would feel a bit redundant to keep it up. With a sixth movie all but guaranteed, Pixar will have to find a way to innovate and keep audiences coming back. They’ve proved they know how to, but it’ll be even harder this time around.
