Toy Story 4 hasn’t even left theaters yet, but fans are already clamoring for a fifth installment of the legendary franchise. While Pixar has yet to rule out another movie in the series, nothing is definite as of yet. Even if the notoriously slow-moving studio does decide to move forward on Toy Story 5 though, the film likely won’t be released until after a decade or so passes.
This isn’t for any particular reason other than it’s just the way the Disney-owned company typically does things. For example, audiences had to wait a whopping eleven years after Toy Story 2 in order to get the next movie in the series. After that, they had to be patient for another nine years in order to get Toy Story 4. This means moviegoers could presumably wait anywhere between seven and thirteen years for the next Buzz and Woody adventure.
This isn’t just exclusive to the aforementioned talking toy franchise, though. There were fourteen years between The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2, thirteen years between Finding Nemo and its sequel Finding Dory and twelve years between Monsters Inc. and its prequel Monsters University. Clearly, long delays between films in a series is the modus operandi for Pixar. At this rate, expect a follow-up to Ratatouille to be announced some time in the near future.
The studio may want to speed things up though if they really do have plans of making a Toy Story 5. Tom Hanks, the voice of Woody, is already 62. And Tim Allen, the voice of Buzz Lightyear, is even more mature at the ripe age of 66. Neither of these actors is getting any younger. It’s not like the franchise could ever replace the two iconic talents, either, so any subsequent installment would have to happen sooner rather than later.
While the world doesn’t absolutely need a Toy Story 5, fans will without a doubt always flock to the theater to watch Woody Pride and the gang bring them back to a simpler time.