Toy Story 5 & Andy’s Most Anticipated Comeback.

Toy Story is a movie that has touched the hearts of many children across time. The Toy Story Franchise is one of the most popular and celebrated ones in the world of cartoons and animations. 

The Toy Story Franchise 

The world of Toy Story consists of a total of 5 movies. The very first one, was released in the year 1995, Toy Story. The very recent movie, i.e., the 5th Movie was announced on a much more recent date, this year 2024, during the year-end. The very recent film is to follow the storyline of Toy Story 4 and Lightyear. The 2019 and 2022 movie of the Franchise.  

So, if you are from a corner of the Universe unfamiliar with the exact plot or storyline of the Toy Story Franchise, well, here you go! 

The Animated Movie features a number of toys owned by a child named Andy. The Toys are not really anything from out of the world, they are toys that little children usually enjoy playing with. But, what is unique about them is that these toys have a secret life. These toys have emotions and feelings. The movie follows them around as the audience gets to sneak peek into the many adventures and stories of these toys.

The movie implores and gains insight into a child’s world of make-believe. Like Alice in Wonderland found friends in the rabbit or cards, here, the toys themselves have a world that is adrift of regular human existence and living. The main characters, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, in a very comical and humorous way, explore the various essential human thoughts and feelings of abandonment, friendship, loyalty, and pride. It is appealing to both children as well as adults, whether be it theme-wise, visually, or plot-wise. 

Why is Toy Story So Famous?

Apart from their intriguing storylines and strong plot lines that appeal to people from a large spectrum of generations, this movie implemented a thorough usage of CGI. Directed by John Lasseter and released by Pixar Studios, during the time of its release, it created quite a buzz among the audience owing to its use of advanced technologies. 

This movie, singlehandedly changed the course of animated cinema in theatres. While it is widely known that Toy Story is the first CGI Movie, it actually was not the case. In reality, by the time Pixar had released Toy Story, they had already released the 2-minute CGI animation, Luxo, Jr in the year 1986. Which later received an Oscar nomination as well. Pixar went on to receive the Academy Award for Animated Short Film, for their movie Tin Toy, in the year 1988.  

While Toy Story was not the first ever CGI animation, it was the first ever CGI- Animated Movie to take a step into theatres. With a large crew and a large number of animators working on the project, Pixar’s Toy Story became the first animated film to receive an Oscar Nomination, 3 Academy Award Nominations, a live-action Disney Musical and so much more. 

The Toys 

Kids often wonder that their material, tangible toys actually do have voices and can actually talk. Pixar was able to bring that fantasy to life. The movie, while being appealing to kids, was surprisingly also appealing to adults or the older generations which eventually increased the reach of the movie. How was that so? 

Well,  this happened because many of the characters were actually pretty common real-life variants. This evoked in the older generations, a sense of nostalgia and a matter of reliability.

Such as : 

Woody: Woody is a classic cowboy doll, a representation of the iconic Western hero, and was likely inspired by toys like the “Howdy Doody” puppet.

Buzz Lightyear: Buzz is an action figure resembling a space ranger. While he’s not based on a specific toy, he draws inspiration from various science fiction and space-themed action figures that have been popular over the years.

Mr. Potato Head: Mr. Potato Head is a classic toy that allows children to create different facial expressions by attaching various facial features to a plastic potato-shaped body.

Rex: Rex is a toy dinosaur, and toy dinosaur figures have been popular among children for decades.

Slinky Dog: Slinky Dog is a toy based on the classic Slinky toy, which is a coiled spring that can “walk” downstairs.

Hamm: Hamm is a piggy bank, which is a common toy for teaching children about saving money.

Bo Peep: Bo Peep is a porcelain shepherdess figurine, representing the kind of collectible figurines that have been popular for display and decoration.

Jessie: Jessie is a cowgirl doll, complementing Woody’s cowboy theme and resembling dolls like Barbie’s western-themed variations.

Bullseye: Bullseye is a horse toy, fitting with the Western theme and the idea of having a loyal steed.

Sarge and the Green Army Men: These are plastic toy soldiers, representing a classic toy that has been popular for imaginative play.

RC Car: RC (remote-controlled) cars have been a staple of the toy industry for many years.

Aliens (The Claw): These little green aliens are part of the “Pizza Planet” claw machine, a common type of arcade game.

The Comeback 

The very recent Toy Story Movie, which is the fifth Toy Story Movie of the Franchise has been turning the heads of many of their fans as people are anticipating that the movie will feature, Andy, whose storyline, it was thought is over. Andy is the owner of the toys and in Toy Story 3 it was seen that Andy is giving away all his toys to Bonnie as he is going away for college. 

Yet, rumors have been circulating that suggest that there is a chance that Andy will return as a grown-up in the 5th Movie. Whether he does or not, it shall only be answered when the movie is released.