WMG / Toy Story 4

New entries go to the bottom of the page. And obviously, spoilers for all previous Toy Story material.

As a WMG subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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Pre-release

Pixar will make a Toy Story 4 that reunites Bo and Woody.

If Unkrich has really been paying close attention to fans' reactions to the third movie, hopefully he'll notice that half of fan fics written since its premiere are either about Woody reuniting with Bo or filling in the blanks on how he lost her.

• The plan for Post-Toy Story 3 material with the characters is a series of shorts similar to what Cars got, the first of which will be in front of Cars 2. A story of Woody reuniting with Bo would fit the format better anyways.
  • Toy Story 4 would destroy a fitting end to the TS saga. TS escaped fate as a Franchise Zombie. Let's leave the Bo Peep/Woody reunitings to bonus short films (or fanfiction).
    • It's interesting that you say that. Toy Story has been marketable for 15 years. Even in the 10 years between the last two movies, there was always a steady stream of Toy Story merchandise. I think this indicates to everyone involved that there is really no need for more Toy Story films, as the whole franchise is overall successful enough that they don't have to go down the Franchise Zombie path.
    • And The Incredibles has shown that Pixar won't make sequels if they don't feel they need to. Toy Story had a full character arc that's been drawn to a close. We might see some shorts or comics that take place afterwards, though.
    • CONFIRMED! It’s due out for June 21, 2019.

Toy Story 4 will have toys reveal to the world that they are alive (or get revenge on humans).

• The only reason for this is Rule of Cool
  • The series always had fantasy elements, but it was never the focus of the three stories- just the premise. No explanation for living toys is explained, which is why I think this is such a great idea for a fourth film. However, it may become TOO fantastical or science-fiction-y, so it could lose the touch of the first three films.
• Jossed.

There will be a spinoff TV series based off Toy Story

3D or 2D. It will be an AU Defictionlization series like Buzz's show, an AU series where the characters are living beings, or a story based on their adventures with Bonnie.

• Confirmed partially. There were several shorts showing the toys's adventures with Bonnie.

Toy Story 4 will be a midquel.

If that Tim Allen rumor is true. If it's somewhat true, then I'm up for a special or spinoff animated series.

• A WALL•E crossover. Or maybe a movie based off romance?
• Confirmed partially. Toy Story 4's prologue takes place between the events of 2 and 3, but the main story is set after the events of 3.

Toy Story 4 will be a spin-off not a sequel

New toys, new kid, the old story ended but a new one will begin. Bonus points if it's Andy's kid.

• Jossed. It's the same toys, now owned (for the most part) by Bonnie.

The antagonist of a hypothetical new installment...

Would be Bonnie's computer. Seriously, what's more likely to make a kid start ignoring their toys? Especially in the modern world. The computer, if anthropomorphized, might even be intentionally perpetrating this.

• Jossed for 4. But who knows, there may be a 5...

There won't be a Toy Story 4

I just can't see Pixar letting it happen (and Disney does seem to respect their decisions well enough). But there will be more than just the Cars 2 pre-movie short. Likely, the shorts will be all about random misadventures, some will expand on the time between the first and second films, and a few will detail events preceding the third. And likely a few will take place after the third, maybe even reuniting Bo Peep with Woody. Eventually, the shorts might get spliced into a sort of pseudo film, likely with an added backstory that ends with a distant finale. In that sense, it won't ruin the note TS3 went out on, but at the same time reaffirm that everything the series taught us over the years.

• Jossed. Toy Story 4 hit theatres in mid 2019.

Alan Rickman will be appearing in Toy Story 4.

As one of the toys in Bonnie's room.

• Jossed. He's dead.

Toy Story 4 will have some type of Take That! towards Robot Chicken

To finally get the show back for the godawful "Toy Story 4" sketch

• They always could, but I don't think that they'd make a bust on Robot Chicken in a way that would mean "Robot Chicken is bad and you are bad for liking it". I'm sure that a handful of Pixar employees are fans of the show, given that plenty of people that make or star in films for the studio have worked in edgier things in the past and just slightly clean up their humor for Pixar. They might include something more of the Affectionate Parody kind of reference, but nothing meant to genuinely shame anyone working on the show or anyone who likes it. Also, I'm pretty sure that Seth Green, Matt Seinreich, and almost everyone else working on the show are fans of Pixar, the Toy Story films in particular, and that Toy Story, if only indirectly, influenced the creation of the show, given that Seth Green's love of toy collecting goes long before Robot Chicken ever came on. Robot Chicken's Toy Story 4 sketch only did what the show does and applied it to Toy Story- use a ridiculous, over-the-top scenario to make fun of some potential Fridge Logic the show provides, in this case how the definition of "toy" changes when you get to a certain age. I'm sure that Seth, Matt, and the rest of the writing/acting team on Robot Chicken would love to see the show parodied in a movie like Toy Story 4, and they might even add their voices and write additional story material for such a parody.

What will be done about Mr. Potato Head

Now that Don Rickles has unfortunately passed away they have to figure out a way to include the character without killing him off. They did get Blake Clark to replace Jim Varney as Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3, so they will certainly find a new actor that sounds like Rickles.

• Or maybe they'll just have Mr. Potato Head play a much smaller role and repurpose old recordings of Rickles for the lines he does have.
  • Confirmed.
• Alternately: similar to how his wife spent most of the previous film missing one of her eyes, maybe Potato Head will permanently lose his mouth. That way, they could have him find a replacement mouth to Hand Wave the change of voice.
• Just gonna throw this casting idea out there: Louis C.K. to succeed Rickles (Jossed as of 2017).
• Or maybe Alan Tudyk since Disney loves using him. Wally Wingert would also be a good Choice, since it wouldn't be the only time Disney or Pixar used an English Anime Dub voice actor.
• Alternatively, Keanu Reeves is being cast for Mr. Potato Head. They haven't said who Reeves is playing.
  • Jossed. Keanu Reeves is voicing a new character named Duke Caboom.
• It's been answered. Mr. Potato Head will be voiced using archival recordings from Don Rickles.

Characters from the Jem and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic toylines will appear in place of the Barbie characters

Bonus points if the My Little Pony characters are voiced by their actors from the show.

• Hasbro would never let a Disney owned film use their properties. Plus, how would that work? Would Ken inexplicably be Kimber or Rainbow Dash?
  • Explain Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, who come from Playskool, a Hasbro subsidiary?
• Why would they need to be "replaced"? This film series has already got a large cast.
• Jossed, as if this needed to be, by the revelation that Barbie will be in the film.

Bo Peep was sold to another family before Toy Story 3

The plot will be Woody going to find out whose toy she became, and finds her, only for it to turn out she has made many new friends in the house she's been in. Hence, the conflict.

• Jossed. Bo was donated to an antiques shop.

The details of the story will be in contrast with the first film (and the others to a lesser degree)

Going of the above theory about Bo Peep being bought by another family, it will have significant differences in the circumstances and plot, such as..

• Bo Peep's owner is a girl who's the same age as Andy was in the original movie, but doesn't particularly like Bo Peep in particular.
• Bo Peep is the newest of the girl's toys, but is actually the oldest of them chronologically (contrasting Buzz being the must have new toy when Andy got him).
• She uses her knowledge about going through her kid growing up to help the other toys accept that the girl will eventually give them up. This allows them to be prepared for the experience and not angst about it like Woody or Jessie have before, being content.
• The girl who owns Bo Peep will have an older sibling who they get along with, contrasting both Andy being the older sibling to Molly and Sid being a Big Brother Bully to Hannah. The older sibling could be a big sister instead of a big brother.
• Bo Peep will have become best friends with a toy who represents a different kind of theme than her, a scary, dark-colored monster toy of some kind. They hit it off right away and they struggle to stay friends due to Woody showing up, contrasting Woody and Buzz slowly learning to become friends.
• Bo Peep and her new friend aren't in charge, and instead follow a leader who is one of the girl's stuffed animals, who is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, contrasting Lotso being a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing.

A newt stuffed animal will appear in the film

As a reference to Newt, the cancelled Pixar film that was going to focus on newts.

This movie will eventually turn into a Bat Family Crossover

Some characters who could return for Toy Story 4 include (feel free to add characters below)...

• Sid's Mutant Toys
  • They would help Woody and his friends to find Bo Beep.
• Wheezy
  • Due to Joe Ranft's death, he'll have to be voiced by someone else like Wally Wingert.
    • He could be The Voiceless though. That, or he could just do a song sequence. Even though Robert Goulet (who was the one who provided the Wheezy version of "You've Got a Friend in Me") died in 2007, the song used could be different enough from it to not matter.
• Stinky Pete
  • He could pull a Hijacked by Ganon, or more likely a Heel–Face Turn.
• Evil Emperor Zurg
  • Would most likely be the Big Bad, if he ever appears.
  • Alternatively, toy versions of Mira, Booster, and/or XR.
    • If they did this, they'd have to find a new voice for Booster like John Di Maggio or Sonny Strait, since Stephen Furst is sadly no longer with us.
• Utility Belt Buzz
  • He'd be either The Dragon to the Big Bad of the film or retain his Heel–Face Turn.
• Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear
  • Either by pulling a Hijacked by Ganon, or he's revealed to be an Unwitting Pawn to another Big Bad.
    • After being strapped to the grill of a truck for sometime, he was discarded and became the leader of a clan of malicious junkyard toys (including the three he was with at the end of the previous film).
• Big Baby
  • A longshot, but he might join forces with Woody this time.
• Angel Kitty
  • Though only if she didn't disappear completely like at the end of Toy Story That Time Forgot.
• Reptillus Maximus
  • Maybe, even if Mason doesn't appear.
  • An image of him appears on a lunchbox in Kindergarten.
• The Cleric
  • Only as long as he doesn't become a bad guy again.
• Combat Carl
• Three three new Combat Carl Jr. figures appear in the sandbox; first seen in Toy Story of Terror, not the one from the first film. So, that is mostly jossed.

There will be toys from Disney franchises like, Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Rule of Cool if Woody and Buzz met the Avengers, the Rebel Alliance and even Unexpected Characters, like Indiana Jones too.

• Alternatively, they could use Pixar toys.
• Slightly confirmed, early Pixar star Tin Toy appears in the trailer.

Bonnie will be a Gamer Chick

Considering she seemed to enjoy playing on Mason’s video game console in the Toy Story That Time Forgot I think it’s likely she will be shown to have become a gamer by the time of the movie. This is mostly assuming there will be a time skip similar to the one in 3 because if there is then Bonnie would be a young teenager.

• Alternatively, she'll be a teen who still plays with toys, and is seen by everyone else as weird. In fact, even her own toys find the situation uncomfortable.
• Jossed.

Toy Story 4 starts with Bonnie throwing a wedding for Buzz and Jessie, Which makes Woody miss Bo.

• Jossed.

The child that owns Bo is Sid's daughter

The Toys somehow find this out and they fear that Bo's new owner is a toy-mutilating psycho like her father was. However, they find out that Sid legitimately changed for the better. Since Sid actually knows that toys are alive, he will perform a Big Damn Heroes to save the Toys from the real Big Bad of the film.

• Jossed.

Bo Peep will die towards the end of the film

Yeah it sounds dark, but Pixar has shown time and time again that it's not afraid to step into this territory. Both Tim Allen and Tom Hanks also recount the ending being so emotional that they couldn't hold in their tears. It will go like this: Woody and the gang are nearing the end of their adventure, they - and by extension the audience - will assume everything will end smoothly, but a sudden and dramatic event leads to Bo Peep's porcelain body shattering. The toys grieve over her demise, particularly Woody, who must accept that toys don't always decide their fate, tugging our heartstrings yet again.

• Then, in a twist of fate, Woody and his friends will work to restore Bo Peep by gluing her pieces back together. The introduction of Forky in and of itself brings us a whole new perspective on toy life, so can toys be revived? And even if it works, does Bo Peep return as her normal self, or is her old self - and memories - dead and she beings life anew? Anyway you put it, the death of a toy is an unprecedented and new way for the Pixar crew to make us bawl our eyes out.
• I don't know, Pixar has done some heartbreaking stuff, but they wouldn't dare to do an all tragic ending.
• Jossed. Bo breaks her arm at one point, but makes it to the end just fine.

Toy Story 4 will reveal how a toy becomes living

Forky has the appearance of a toy made by a child and has a freak out that it's not a toy. So this movie will explore how a toy becomes alive.

• Jossed. The toys are surprised that Forky is alive, but no explanation is given as to how it happened. Even Forky has no idea how he (or his female counterpart) are 'alive'.

Woody will die at the end of the movie.

There are a few hints possibly pointing towards our lovable sheriff losing his life in this next adventure:

• This character teaser poster has Woody tipping his hat to the audience amidst a brown and black background. It has no title, but just the date, hinting at a somber film for Woody.
• Tom Hanks said that the ending made him cry.
  "The way you record 'Toy Story,' you’re in a room with the team that has created it. When I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them, because usually, you're facing them so you can look right up and you can talk about it. But I didn’t want to see them and I wanted to pretend they couldn’t see me. When I realized what they were going for, I realized, 'Oh, this is a moment in history.'"
• Jossed. Woody survives, but leaves the other toys to stay with Bo.

Bo Peep will ultimately be the one to inspire Forky to accept his own existence.

Bo Peep wasn't originally a toy either. As a porcelain figurine, she had to have been created for display purposes.

• Jossed.

Forky is one of Sid's long-lost "mutant toys"

Think about it - a lot of Sid's toys are "freaky mutants" and appear to be made up of lots of random parts - Forky is made up of random parts, including a fork, gum/Blu-Tac, a pipe cleaner, etc. What if Forky was one of Sid's mutants, but then he got lost, forgotten or exiled by the other mutants, and then years later turned up with Woody and the other toys?

• Jossed - he was created by Bonnie.

There will be Funko Pops in one scene

• Jossed.

Toy Story 4's ending will be Akin to Avengers: Infinity War

Tim Allen said that the films ending was just as emotional as Infinity War, and a lot of people are theorizing that the ending is actually very similar. Because of an incident, the world knows that the toys are alive, and as a result, the life force given to the toys, wears off, and they all become immobile, still played with, but they can't come alive anymore.

• Then Again, The Posters had Woody tipping his hat, this could be a hint at the ending, but I don't know if Pixar would do it.

• Jossed. Woody leaves the other toys at the end to stay with Bo, but no one dies (or turns to dust).

By the time Woody finds Bo Peep, she won't be alive anymore

Different from the above speculation of Bo Peep being broken, instead she will no longer be alive due to her new owner not using her as a toy, but instead as a lamp like she was intended. Given that this film's theme partly explores Existential Horror in Forky, the same would apply to Bo, who would've been given life as a "toy" thanks to Andy. It's possible that given enough time, these "toys" don't retain their being unlike standard toys would. Perhaps this could be subverted with The Power of Love via Woody, but given Tom Hanks' response to the last scene, this is uncertain.

• Jossed, the trailer shows Woody finding and interacting with Bo Peep while being lost (again), this time from Bonnie's home.

The ending won't be as dire as everyone is making it out to be.

Rather than anyone dying, it will end with Woody choosing to stay with Bo Peep instead of return with the other toys. By this point, it won't matter since Bonnie has grown up and moved on to other things. So, while Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys go on to a new owner, Woody stays with whomever owns Bo Peep.

• Confirmed. Woody leaves the other toys to stay with Bo. Bonnie doesn't grow up.

The Bittersweet Ending is that the toys will probably never see Woody again, but at the same time, Woody's happy to have Bo Peep back, and quickly integrates himself into the colorful cast of toys of his and Bo's new owner.

• Confirmed, but Bo and Woody have no owners.

Alternatively to the Above, the ending will be like the scene where Buzz and Jessie danced in the end

• Jossed.

Bo Peep was broken.

In the leaked advertisement photo, if you look at her right arm, she appears to have special tape wrapped around her elbow. Given that the movie seems to be addressing the toys' Existential Horror, not to mention that this would be an indication of what Bo Peep has been going through while separated from the gang as well as parallel when Woody also broke his arm, this could also mean Bo Peep has gone through a bit of a traumatic experience in being something that wasn’t meant to be a toy and was nearly disposed for being broken during whatever happened that caused her to break.

• She wears a pink ribbon now, but images like this make it look like a piece of her old bonnet. Foreshadowing? Subtext? The thread on her crook may be also holdig two broken pieces together. I think this doesn't look well for the sheep.
• Jossed. Bo does have her arm snapped off at one point, but she jokes that it happens all the time, and just tapes it back on.

Andy's Mom is only appearing in a flashback sequence.

According to Word of God in promotional material, Bo was stored instead of given away or sold and later chose to leave Andy's house, and we also have images of Bo in her original appearance. It sounds like there'll be a flashback shown, where Andy's mom will probably appear.

• Confirmed by Laurie Metcalf. There's a brief flashback at the beginning of the movie that will have Andy's mom in it.

The ending will involve a major Character Death.

It is already speculated that a character like Woody or Bo Peep would die in this page, but given how dark the ending seems to be, it's more than likely that Tonight, Someone Dies. And it will be a poignant, beautiful sendoff, whether it be a new character (Forky) or one that's been there ever since the beginning (Woody, Buzz, Bo, etc.).

• Jossed. Nobody dies, but Woody leaves the other toys to go off with Bo.

Forky is a metaphor for the entire movie.

A lot of people are skeptical of there being a fourth installment of this series when the third one ended perfectly. The spoon, fork, and knife are three very useful and well-known utensils (like the three other Toy Story movies), but the spork is the odd one out. When he says "I don't belong here!" in the teaser trailer, it's like even the movie itself is saying it shouldn't exist. Or rather, that's how skeptics are dismissing it.

Bo Peep cut Andy's mom.

As a porcelain doll, Bo Peep wasn't meant to be played by children for this very reason. But Andy was a sweet kid and took great care of his toys so Bo Peep never thought about it. Then, either due to an accident in playtime or an adventure outside, she gets damage and Andy's mom cuts herself touching her. This would explain why Bo Peep wouldn't go to Andy or another kid. As the fact she could hurt her kid would horrify her.

• Jossed. It's revealed that Bo was bought for Andy's sister, as she was the only thing that could get her to sleep at night.

There will be a subtle reference to Kingdom Hearts III, specifically the events of the Toy Box world.

In keeping with the idea that KH 3's events are canon to the Toy Story universe; obviously mentioning Sora or the Heartless would be unlikely, but Woody and the others may vaguely allude to it, or compare the incident to their current situation.

• Alternatively, Galaxy Toys or some of the toys for sale there will make an appearance.
• Jossed.

Bo Peep will be the villain.

Because why the hell not. This trailer suggests that her life at the antique shop and carnival is better than just staying as some kid's toy, so she'll clash with Woody on this and he'll just have to accept that and let go of her.

• Unlikely. Pixar would NEVER commit such character assassination. More likely than not, either Gabby Gabby will be the main villain, or Lotso will show up unexpectedly at the antique shop, and take control of all the ventriloquist dolls to use as an army in his bid to retake Sunnyside (hence where Barbie and Ken will come in), going as far as to kidnap Bo Peep to use as bait for Woody so he can take revenge on him for turning Sunnyside against him. Joined by an equally-vengeful Stinky Pete, the Battle of Sunnyside will be the most visceral action sequence ever made by Pixar (even more than the climax of Incredibles 2).
  • Alternately the villain will be that tiny doll on her shoulder.
• Jossed. Bo is not a villain.

The toys will reveal the fact they're alive

Much hype has been made over Hanks stating the ending will be a historic moment. What could be more historic than breaking the franchise's top rule?

• Alternatively...
• Jossed. Buzz and Trixie do talk out loud at certain points when Bonnie or her parents are around, but they have no idea that they're being addressed by toys.

The "historic moment" will be in revealing the exact mechanism of how toys come to life.

The reason? All toys are inhabited by the souls of the dearly-departed. And more often than not, who inhabits who is all a matter of what they were in life. For example:

• Woody was Andrew H. Broder, first sheriff of Alameda County, California (in reference to the county where Emeryville is located)
  • Alternately, Woody's actually Woody Strode, a real-life cowboy actor, who died December 31, 1994 IE a year before the original movie's release, and, oh yeah, was the literal naming inspiration for the character.
    • Woody was manufactured in the 1950s, whereas Woody Strode, as you said, died in 1994. The dates do not line up.
• Buzz Lightyear was one of the astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Challenger when the disaster occurred
• Jessie was Calamity Jane herself
• Bullseye was a loyal dog
• Hamm was a wisecracking banker
• Rex was a paleontologist with a special fondness for the T-rex
• Mr. Potato Head was a Jerk with a Heart of Gold
• All of the Little Green Men are a menagerie of ufologists, conspiracy theorists, and those who have claimed to be abducted.
• Jossed.

This film will be the highest grossing out of the tetralogy.

Given that 3 was the very first animated film to make a billion dollars, 4 may have big shoes to fill, but it's also hotly anticipated - so perhaps it could make even just a bit more than the previous film or, if Pixar is extra lucky, it could even make two billion.

• Confirmed. 4 surpassed 3 in the box office, but only by a tiny bit.

Forky will die by the end of the film.

In the last shot of the official trailer, Woody appears to be carrying Forky, hinting that he may become mortally wounded by the end of the film. His "Everything's going to be okay" line may be him telling Woody to not be sad about him dying. Let's face it, a plastic fork with pipe cleaner arms is a pretty fragile thing, as evidenced by a shot near the trailer's end of Woody running from Gabby Gabby's ventriloquist dummies while holding Forky's now-detached arms. It would be a poignant end to the film, showing the entire life cycle of a character, from birth to death, in a single film, with Forky likely going out while thanking Woody and the gang for giving his short life meaning.

• Jossed. Forky survives and becomes a part of Bonnie's toys.

Bo Peep will be angry at Andy/Molly or their mom for storing, or giving her away

She won't be the villain but that will be a source of conflict between her and Woody, who will help her come to terms with it and forgive them.

• Jossed. Bo's actually happy to be on her own and not have an owner.

There is more than one Bo Peep

Going by how there are different scenes where Bo Peep appears in her clothes from the first movie and her new clothes, it's possible that there might be more than one Bo Peep, similar to how there was more than one Buzz in Toy Story 2. Going by the theory that she might be the villain, the new Bo may be manipulating Woody into thinking she's the original Bo, when the real Bo is still good and is the one in her original clothes. Judging by how the new Bo has a purple band on her left arm while the old Bo does not, it's possible that she's using it to hide some sort of crack that the original Bo doesn't have.

• Even though I believe the scenes with the old Bo might be flashbacks, I can see Pixar pulling off a twist like that.
• Jossed.

For once, there won't be a twist villain.

The past few Pixar (and for that matter, Disney) films have always had the villain be a twist one (Frozen (2013) is most guilty of this, even creating a misinformation campaign to cover up Hans' true nature by painting the Duke of Weselton as the Big Bad), or in the cases of Inside Out, Finding Dory, and Ralph Breaks the Internet, there was No Antagonist, the conflict instead being driven by the protagonists' flaws.

• Confirmed. Gabby is the only villain in the film.

Toy Story 4 will dispense with this, going back to having a clear-cut villain like Sid, Hopper, Darla, Chick Hicks, Skinner, AUTO, Mord'u, Thunderclap, and Jackson Storm, instead of twist villains like Stinky Pete, Waternoose, Syndrome, Charles Muntz, Lotso, Miles Axelrod, Ernesto, and Evelyn. The villain has already been revealed as Gabby Gabby (who plots to rip out Woody's voicebox to replace her own defective box), and I don't think Pixar would dare go through with making Bo Peep the villain, considering how Pixar has never resorted to Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome in its entire existence. The backlash would be even more insane than The Last Jedi.

• Confirmed. There are no twist villains.

There will be a reference to Star Wars: The Force Awakens somewhere in the movie.

• Seeing as how the first three movies in the franchise each had a reference to the original trilogy, it is only right for this movie to have one as well. It is one of Pixar's Running Gag(s)
• Jossed.

Toy Story 4 will be the last film in the franchise.

As said in by Tom Hanks in an interview on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''. Then again, this was said by the movie's voice actor and not the actual people behind the movie.

• Jossed. Pixar announced a spin-off film, Lightyear, for 2022.

Post-release

Gabby Gabby's defective voice-box is a metaphor for infertility.

Gabby sees this broken part inside of her as the sole thing standing in her way from having a child to call her own; having a functional one would let her be free to have such a connection. Admittedly, uterine transplants aren't exactly normal, and getting the needed organ from a masculine character raises more questions, but allegories aren't exact comparisons.

• Furthering the metaphor, the child she ends up with at the end, who has lost their parents and only has the courage to find them when she finds Gabby, might be a metaphor for adoption.

Woody and Bo, and Buzz and Bonnie's toys will still keep in touch in the sequel.

The toys are noted to be actually rather savvy on tech, such as Rex playing games and Trixie knowing the internet. Eventually they will figure social media out and be able to communicate no matter the distance.

• This probability actually makes the end less tearjerking.

Toy Story is, and always has been, in the imaginations of its human protagonists

This theory has almost certainly been posited somewhere before, but it was watching Toy Story 4 and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part that it really started to seem compelling to me. So, for your consideration:

At one point, Woody tells Forky that he came to life when Bonnie wrote her name on his foot. In a sense, he became real when he became “her toy.” But it could be instead that he became “real” because Bonnie added him to her imaginary narrative of what the toys were doing when she wasn’t looking, like Andy had before her.

Similarly, Andy created narratives to himself for what his toys were doing when he wasn’t around, and instilled them all with the separate personalities we see over the course of the original film trilogy. And as Andy got older, his narratives became more mature, hence the Darker and Edgier nature of Toy Story 3, which he came up with as a college student to give his toys one last ultra-suspenseful hoorah. He then explained the personalities of all the toys to Bonnie, so she honors the personalities he instilled in them and they’re still intact even after he’s gone.

Andy serving as the creator of the first three stories could even explain away some of the ContrivedCoincidences present in the story and subtext. Andy’s mom being Jessie’s original owner, as proposed by a lot of fan theories, is a stretch in reality. But as a plot point in a story concocted by a child, it’s a lot more likely.

Going in a slightly sadder direction, it does present a different interpretation of this film’s ending: that Woody was simply lost on Bonnie’s family road trip, misplaced and never found again, as toys so often are. But instead of leaving that idea be, Bonnie came up with a heartwarming story about how he found an old friend of his again and decided to be with her, since Bonnie didn’t need him anymore.

There are probably plenty of things that hold this theory back and “story just being made up by the protagonist” theories are usually pretty eye rolling. But what is any child doing when they’re playing with toys if not assigning personalities to them and sending them off on their own adventures? This is just a few kids doing it with the toys when they aren’t looking.

The toys are spending their retirement years at Toy Story Land.

The carnival was just the beginning. Now Woody is spending his life in the theme parks. Buzz and the rest of the toys have since joined him and Bo Peep sometime after the events of Toy Story 4. (If you think about it, enough time has gone by now that Bonnie probably wouldn’t care about them anymore. She’s presumably a teenager now anyway, if not an adult.) So yes, he did see them again. And they are all living happily together, just as they have throughout the series; and they are enjoying their new lives in the parks.

If a fifth film is ever made…

Andy will be married and have two kids—a son and a daughter. Bonnie will be grown and will give some of her toys as well as Andy’s toys to his children. Woody and Bo Peep will join them as well, as they will have reunited with Buzz and the other toys. The subplot would involve Al trying to reunite the Woody's Roundup gang to complete his Collection again after he got surprised that Stinky Pete is getting sold again via Colbert Bump.

• Alternatively, Buzz and the other toys join Woody and Bo Peep.

There will be a 5th Toy Story to conclude the series by featuring all the characters from the previous films

The above sums a perfect Grand Finale of the franchise. But before this satisfying conclusion, the toys embark on their biggest adventure yet, one that reunites them with the friends and foes they have made over the years (complete with them having a lot of their Actors and Actresses giving a lot of Role Reprise(s) to do the roles). Who wouldn't want to see familiar faces like RC, Wheezy and Stinky Pete and what they've been up to now that their owners have grown up? Maybe an Avengers: Endgame-sized team-up to solve the biggest problems and end the franchise with a massive Dance Party Ending, taken up to eleven for the Earn Your Happy Ending part.

At best, many of them are in new homes, some now owned by the kids of their owners. Others may have ended up in daycares and stores via Colbert Bump for the latter while a few were given to other stuff.

The next movie is about a toy uprising

When the toys arrive at the junkyard, they will be captured by a clan of abandoned toys who believe they are worthless. What's more; they are led by Lotso, who is now disfigured from his time as a truck accessory. His hatred of humans has grown into an elaborate scheme for an all-out toy uprising.This time, however, Forky will serve as the perfect Foil to Lotso's "toys are trash" mentality. He will be the one to bring the junkyard toys to a Heel–Face Turn. He will ultimately overthrow Lotso and become their new leader, and surrounded by trash, he will depart from Bonnie's group of toys to pursue his new outlook.

• Two outlooks for Lotso: 1) He endures the first Disney Villain Death of the franchise via incinerator. Forky tries to help him, but Lotso refuses and falls to his fiery demise. 2) Or for something more wholesome, he is unwittingly found by an adult Daisy and given to her children, rediscovering his purpose.

Buzz's voicebox really was his inner voice, or to be more specific his subconscious.

At first the convenience of his voice box always being right was really bothering me, until the scene where after Woody goes back for Forky, his voicebox does nothing but give him lines telling him to leave, something he clearly didn't want to do, but knew he had to. Then again when Bonnie has forgotten her backpack and her family is going to leave without Woody and Forky, his voicebox stops giving him all the right answers, because in that moment, he had no idea what to do. After these two scenes I rethought his scenes in the movie and relized that in most of those situations, the advice his voicebox gave him was what he probably would have done anyway, which makes me think his voicebox was actually his inner voice, helping him brainstorm ideas faster than he otherwise would have.

Woody will get a replacement voice box

Continuing on the above theory of Al returning in a sequel, Woody will end up meeting other Woody dolls, none of whom are in as great a condition as him and in varying states of disrepair. One of them will have a functional voice box and give it to Woody just in time for him to reunite with Andy and his new children.

Toy Story 5 will not have Woody, and instead, focus on the end of Buzz's story

Like it or not, Buzz did not have a big part to play in Toy Story 4, but this was for a reason. Woody's story is over, but Buzz's is not. Buzz has to try and fill the part of Woody and keep the crew together through some trials at Bonnys. Maybe Bonny gets a new toy who plays dirty and breaks the other toys so he gets played with more. The story will end with Buzz given the choice, much like Woody, to stay with Bonny or leave, but he will choose to stay. This makes him a sort of mirror image to Woody, who did the opposite. Woody might show up at the end, maybe to give advice to Buzz, much like how Buzz did for Woody at the end of Toy Story 4.

There will be a Toy Story 5.

Let's be honest here: They won't let this franchise die.

• Confirmed

There will be a spinoff series about Woody, Bo and the rest of the lost toys.

The concept of Woody and the gang wandering the world and helping other lost toys find owners has a ton of potential for an episodic series, and why else would the writers go to the trouble of introducing a bunch of new, marketable characters like Ducky, Bunny and Duke Caboom if they weren't planning on using them in the future?

Toy Story 5 will be Woody trying to get back to Bonnie

Toy Story 5 will be a prequel

The movie will take place before the event of the first film and is about how Woody got into the hands of Andy.

• Eh, probably not. It's been confirmed that Buzz Lightyear will return, and in the first film he was brand new. So any film taking place before the first film wouldn't include Buzz, unless much of the story is shown in flashback and he appears outside the flashback scenes.

Toy Story 5 will focus on a new protagonist

With Woody's story seemingly wrapping up for good in Toy Story 4, a possibility for the franchise's future is to have a brand-new toy take center stage for this film and any other potential follow ups. And given that Tim Allen confirmed his return as Buzz, it's possible that this lead could be a new toy of Bonnie's.

Jessie will be the protagonist of Toy Story 5 and any future Toy Story films

Toy Story 4 made it clear that Jessie was primed to be Woody's successor; Bonnie seems to enjoy playing with her the most, and she was assigned to be the new leader of Bonnie's toys by Woody at the end of the film. Because of that, Jessie could very well be the next main protagonist of the franchise, with Buzz remaining as the deuteragonist.

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