The road to Toy Story 4 has been a long one. In 2010, Toy Story 3 seemingly gave a bittersweet and perfect ending to Pixar's crown jewel franchise, but in 2014, a fourth chapter was announced. Since then, Toy Story 4 has had multiple behind-the-scenes changes and was delayed to next year, almost a decade since the last chapter. So what was the reason behind the delay? One character who is expected to have a big role in the next film is Bo Peep, and Annie Potts, who voices the character, spoke about the major story changes that caused the delay, saying:
[Toy Story 4] was supposed to come out this year and then they threw out three-quarters of it and rewrote. Usually, it takes -- from start to finish -- two years. But because they threw most of it in the bin and started over [my time on the project has] been extended a little bit. I've done a lot of work on it.
This certainly explains the delay. Speaking with Radio Times, Annie Potts is quite candid in revealing how much of the film had to be completely discarded. Although it wasn't starting completely from scratch, it sounds like the current Toy Story 4 retained only some of the elements of its previous incarnation. Toy Story 4 was at one point meant to release this year, but swapped places with Incredibles 2 to give it more time. If three-quarters of the film had to be rewritten, that inevitably led to a lot more animation work that had to be done, so this delay is completely understandable, although it is a bit concerning.
The delay is just part of a series of cascading changes that have harried Toy Story 4. The film was originally supposed to be helmed by Pixar head John Lasseter with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack on scripting duties. Lasseter stepped down and co-director Josh Cooley becoming the sole director. The two writers also left the project and were recently replaced by Stephany Folsom.
The one encouraging thing about the delay is that it gives Pixar time to get this film right and hopefully isn't rushing to meet a release date. Also, if something wasn't working, even if it was a lot of somethings, it's better to take the time and get it right rather than rush out a product that doesn't live up to the lofty Toy Story name. The question is whether or not this is being forced and just how worried we should be if so much of the film was thrown out.
There is already a strong argument to be made that this trilogy is perfect as is and we don't need another Toy Story. When the movie was announced, it was indicated that Pixar was only returning to the franchise because there was a new, different kind of story to tell. So it is concerning if three-quarters of that story wasn't working. But Pixar has given us more reasons to trust it than not, and hopefully it will prove that this franchise is evergreen when Toy Story 4 hits theaters.
Toy Story 4 is currently scheduled to hit theaters on June 21, 2019. But thankfully, you won't have to wait that long for a long-awaited Pixar sequel. Incredibles 2 speeds into theaters on June 15 and is on track for a huge opening. For all of the latest on Pixar and all your movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
