Disney dropped a toy-sized bomb during their quarterly earnings call with investors last night by announcing sequels to some of its most beloved properties, one of which was Toy Story.
The Toy Story films have been a blockbuster success for Disney, financially and creatively. The films have grossed over $3 billion from a cumulative budget of $520 million. Lightyear, by comparison, was a financial bomb for Disney, grossing just $226 million from a $200 million budget. In addition, every Toy Story film has been nominated for an Academy Award on release, in eight different categories, including two Best Animated Feature wins, and a Special Achievement Award in 1996 for "First Feature-Length Computer-Animated Film".
The release of a new Toy Story film carries an element of risk for both Disney and Pixar, in a creative sense as well as financially bringing in the law of diminishing returns. Toy Story 3 was nominated for Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards, and the original three films are seen as arguably the greatest trilogy of all time. Toy Story 4 was seen as an epilogue to the story, but despite apprehension, was a magnificently emotional film that concluded the characters' arcs beautifully and in a satisfying way. To go back on that ending risks untying the neat bow with which the story was wrapped.Watch now