Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 7, 2014. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Almost twenty years after Pixar Animation Studios created the first computer-animated feature-length film with "Toy Story", plans for Disney/Pixar’s "Toy Story 4" have now been announced. This time, alongside Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their friends, of course, John Lasseter himself is back again. Lasseter directed parts 1 and 2 and is now taking care of the fourth part. The story is being developed by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter and Lee Unkrich, as with the three previous parts.
“We all love these characters so much; they are like family members to us,” Lasseter said. “We don’t want to do anything with them that doesn’t at least reach or even exceed the standard of the earlier films. ‘Toy Story 3’ brought the story of Woody, Buzz and Andy to such a beautiful conclusion that for a long time we didn’t even think about making another film. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee and I came up with this new idea, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was so exciting that I knew we simply had to make this film — and that I wanted to direct it myself.”
Alongside the characters, the box-office result is certainly also loved. "Toy Story 3" is ranked 13th among the most successful films worldwide by box-office revenue (source: Wikipedia). That puts the animated film only three places away from "Transformers 4" — just to give an idea of the scale.
The Toy Story saga will therefore probably accompany us for some time yet alongside "Cars". But if Lasseter remains faithful to his credo of "Research, research, research" as the basis for a film, something may well come of it. We will have to be a little patient, however. The US theatrical release is scheduled for June 16, 2017.
Image: Director John Lasseter works with the story team on Disney/Pixar’s "Toy Story 4" and a new chapter in the lives of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Story gang. The film is intended to open in 2017. © Deborah Coleman / Pixar
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