Just in time for D23, a new big detail about Toy Story 4 has been revealed...
Good Morning America revealed a few hours ago on their twitter that Toy Story 4, a love story as many of us knew, is going to be about Woody and Bo Peep.
The storyline for 'Toy Story 4' will be a love story and centered around Woody and Bo Peep! #D23#D23Expopic.twitter.com/5yKyplo1PF— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 14, 2015Hmmmm...
I really don't know about this...
I had actually predicted right from the get-go that Bo Peep could possibly return. Bo Peep is part of a lamp, and perhaps Bonnie and her mother might've gotten her at a yard sale. Or maybe Bonnie now has a baby brother or sister, since she was really Andy's younger sister Molly's.
Well, it looks like Bo is returning somehow. Or is it another Bo? Not like Bo is the only one that was made.
Look, I love Pixar. I've been at their side through thick-and-thin. I didn't drop-kick them after Cars 2, a film I did not dislike at all, and I liked Brave and Monsters University a great deal. If you've been here long enough, you probably already know this. I don't dislike sequels, and I know that Pixar has to answer to a certain mega-empire corporation. It's not the little Emeryville studio anymore that's making films for the mouse, it's now part of the mouse machine.
Toy Story 4 was probably inevitable considering the success of the franchise, and the fact that its third entry grossed $1 billion worldwide. No wise corporation walks away from that, and you know with Disney, more is more. Now we've been told that Toy Story 4's storyline was concocted by the Pixar Brain Trust and even some of the higher-ups had no idea about it. The Brain Trust loved it so much that a fourth film was pushed forward, so I figured, "Hey, if the creators of said movies want it so bad, who am I to tell them 'no'?"
Toy Story 4 is a massive risk for Pixar, but not in the same way something like Inside Out or WALL-E were. Toy Story 4 has a tall order, it has to match its predecessors, all of which got excellent critical reception and all three make up what is considered the rare "perfect" or "great" trilogy. A slightly less-than-stellar Toy Story 4 would probably cause panic, its existence already is...
I was then happy to hear, earlier this year, that the story wouldn't really be connected to the trilogy. It would be a standalone story, basically the feature-length equivalent of the half hour TV specials Toy Story of TERROR! and Toy Story That Time Forgot. Both were great, and both actually expanded on the series. TERROR! explored Jessie's fears of being trapped in boxes, Time Forgot had a neat little ending that showed the importance of being a toy that's loved and played with, something it probably didn't need to have but did anyway because... Pixar goes extra miles, even for TV specials.
However... Bo Peep...
One of the things I love about Toy Story 3 is how it explores some of the realities of growing up. Early on in the film, Woody explains that they've lost some friends as Andy and Molly grew up. Not all kids cling onto everything from the past and save them, hence Bo Peep being sold at a yard sale. It's quite heartbreaking for Woody, considering that Buzz has Jessie, and Potato Head has the Mrs., Woody has accepted it, though it did hurt to bring her name up. That's what I loved about the film, it didn't chicken out. Great for a family-film, too. Kids learn that not everything can be perfect.
Bo coming back in Toy Story 4 I think could kind of negate all of that...
I would've been a little more content with Woody falling in love with someone else, be it a new toy or Dolly. On the one hand, I'm glad Woody is at least going to have someone to love, because after losing Bo, he's had it kind of bad. Buzz has a significant other, Potato Head does, Barbie and Ken are together at Sunnyside, and even Rex has Trixie! At the same time, I just think having Bo return could possibly ruin that emotional moment in Toy Story 3 and take away from one of that film's mature qualities. Pixar is rightfully praised for making stories that cater to adults that happen to be appropriate for most children, and that little moment of storytelling I think is an example of that.
Maybe I'm completely biased. John Lasseter (who is directing), Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Pete Docter, and crew are all behind this idea. They know more than I do, they created this whole series. They probably got this, they probably have an excellent story coming our way. For me, personally, I'm not too fond of the story right now. I'm sure in summer 2017, I'm going to be extremely wrong and I'm going to love this film something fierce. I hope I do, I hope it's excellent and on the level of its predecessors. It probably will be...
I don't know. I don't have a crystal ball. I don't have a time machine, I can't go to June 16, 2017 and come back to tell you what's in store for you. Let me just put it this way... Toy Story 4 is something I'm not excited about, but it's also something I'm not dreading. I'm going to wait and see how it turns out. Why is that? Simple, it's the fourth film in this amazing series and even though it's supposed to be a standalone story (why they're calling it Toy Story 4 is still beyond me), it still can't mess around. I think bringing Bo Peep back is a huge risk. How do you not negate that theme in Toy Story 3? Well, Pixar has shown many times that they can overcome odds and make something wonderful out of something so unlikely.
I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Maybe we'll learn more details that will make me a little less skeptical this afternoon, for Disney Animation and Pixar are making their presentation at D23! (Just a heads up, I may not be able to live-blog it. If not, expect the post tomorrow afternoon. Busy weekend ahead!)
What do you think of this idea? Do you think bringing Bo Peep back could possibly insult one of the ideas of the third film? Or do you think it could work out in some way? Sound off below!