Summary
- Toy Story 3‘s perfect ending makes Toy Story 4 unnecessary, according to Quentin Tarantino.
- The Toy Story franchise is now expanding to 5 films, following the success of each previous installment.
- Despite Tarantino’s opinion, Toy Story 4 is generally considered to be a worthy follow-up with emotional depth and new character arcs.
Quentin Tarantino shares his opinions on the Toy Story franchise. Since the first Toy Story‘s release in 1995, and with the three sequels that followed, the story of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their fellow toys has been met with acclaim from critics and general audiences, along with becoming box office hits. The long-running franchise has continued to be critically and commercially successful, no matter how years pass between each installment, with this success expected to continue with Toy Story 5‘s upcoming release.
While on the Club Random with Bill Maher podcast (via Variety), Tarantino praised Toy Story 3 while explaining that its impactful ending makes him never want to watch Toy Story 4. He shared his deep admiration of the Toy Story trilogy and emphasized his opinion that the third movie makes a fourth unnecessary. Since this puts a blemish on what would have otherwise been a perfect trilogy, Tarantino reveals the one trilogy that he does deem to be impeccable. Check out his comments below:
I don’t watch all the animated movies and stuff, but I’m a big fan of the “Toy Story” trilogy. I think there’s only one trilogy that completely and utterly works to the Nth degree and that’s “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
In the case of “Toy Story,” the third one is just magnificent. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. And if you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating. But the thing is, then three years later or something they did a fourth, and I have no desire to see it. You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.
Should The Toy Story Franchise Have Ended After Toy Story 3?
The Trilogy Has Now Expanded Into 5 Films
Tarantino sometimes has unpopular opinions about the film industry, but his opinion on the Toy Story franchise was actually quite common leading up to Toy Story 4. With a 98% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story 3‘s perfect ending remains nearly universally acclaimed, from the dramatic incinerator scene to the tearjerking scene of Andy passing his toys onto Bonnie. Toy Story 3 hit all the right emotional beats and felt like a fitting culmination of the characters’ journey.
|
Movie |
Critical Score |
Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Toy Story (1995) |
100% |
92% |
|
Toy Story 2 (1999) |
100% |
87% |
|
Toy Story 3 (2010) |
98% |
90% |
|
Toy Story 4 (2019) |
97% |
94% |
Nevertheless, Toy Story 4 did prove to be a worthy followup that was just as heartfelt as its predecessors. By making Bo Peep a prominent character, it addresses her story following her absence in Toy Story 3, and her return helps Woody ask important questions and figure out who he is in a world without Andy and when he is no longer the favorite toy. Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 are accessible to all ages while also feeling as though they continue to grow up the generation who were children when the original film was released in 1995.
Toy Story 5 will see the toys contending with the challenges of modern-day technology and the hold it has over children.
While Tarantino’s reason for never wanting to see Toy Story 4 is understandable, it still remains a satisfying ending, with it almost feeling like an extended and rewarding epilogue. After two arguably perfect endings, the question is whether Pixar can complete the same trick for a third time with Toy Story 5‘s story. Even without Tarantino watching any additional Toy Story movies, the sequel will face enormous pressure to live up to the critical and commercial heights of the other beloved films.
Source: Club Random with Bill Maher podcast (via Variety)
