When the news came out that "Toy Story 4" was being bumped to 2019, with "The Incredibles 2" on the fast track, it left some wondering if there was trouble in infinity (and beyond). But in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pixar filmmaker Pete Docter talked about finding the right story to tell with the fourth movie, and avoiding a repeat of the past.
Docter is "only helping develop the film's story," as EW put it, with the "franchise reboot" script being written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. Docter said that, last he saw, the writers and Pixar chief John Lasseter were still including the story element of a romantic relationship between Woody and Bo Peep."It's hard, because as we get in there, we realize you don't want this to just be another regurgitation of something we've seen. We've really plumbed the depths of these characters with Woody and Buzz, so to find something new that hasn't been done, I feel like we're onto it now. But it's taken some real deep investigative work."
"Again, it brings it to something that you haven't seen before, which I think is what people want. On the one hand, you like the familiarity, you like these characters, you want to see them again — but if it was the same movie or it felt like, 'Eh, it was a little bit like 'Toy Story 2,' then we're kind of sunk."
Then again, you could argue that "Star Wars" just found success riding the nostalgia retread wave with "The Force Awakens." Sometimes familiarity to the point of reminiscent is welcome. But it's always good to hear that filmmakers are holding themselves to a high standard of originality, and we certainly trust that Pixar won't let us down.
"Toy Story 4" is now scheduled for release June 21, 2019.
Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.