If it feels like we’ve said goodbye to Woody far too many times now, it’s because we have. After Toy Story 3 gave Andy the perfect ending, Toy Story 4 was Woody’s turn to get his happily ever after with Bo Peep. Unfortunately, Disney just couldn’t resist the temptation of potentially another billion-dollar outing after the company’s recent abysmal performance.
Disney recently confirmed a trio of sequels, including a fifth Toy Story film, and Tim Allen, the long-time voice actor of Buzz Lightyear, couldn’t help but express his excitement. Allen, who’s played Lightyear since the space ranger’s debut in 1995, also teased that he’d be seeing Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, soon.
@xfire.com Buzz and Woody are coming back for Toy Story 5 #toystory #toystory5 #toystory5comingyourway #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #trending
Allen’s return should be excellent news to audiences who missed him from last year’s controversial film, Lightyear. The film, which was advertised as the origin story of the titular character, saw America’s posterior, Chris Evans, take over the role to significant negative reaction. The spin-off had mixed results and, in the end, barely made back its $200 million budget. This was arguably the death knell to all of Disney’s plans to release spin-offs and the celebration of the incoming sequels helps drive this point home.
See ya soon Woody, you are a sad strange little man and you have my pity. And off we go to a number 5! To infinity and beyond! pic.twitter.com/bwRzE487Vi
— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) February 9, 2023
With that said, Toy Story 5 finds itself in a difficult position. On one hand, Toy Story should’ve ended with the fourth film. On the other hand, Buzz deserves a similar farewell to Woody. The ending of Toy Story 4 saw Buzz come back home to Bonnie after risking life and limb to rescue his old pal. But, in attempting to do so, it risks sullying the reputation of Toy Story even further following last year’s Lightyear.
Keep in mind that the lead-up to Toy Story 4 wasn’t too kind either and it wasn’t until the movie premiered in theaters that people changed their minds. So, it is doable, it’s just not that easy to do. It will be interesting to see how Toy Story 5 gives Buzz a proper conclusion now that Woody should be happy with Bo Peep.
Maybe Buzz finds himself in trouble and the toys ask for Woody’s help in Toy Story 5. That certainly wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility. Either way, bringing back Allen to voice Buzz with Hanks likely to return as Woody is a good start. The only question now is, when are we going to get our first look at Toy Story 5?
