Proving that you can't keep a good film off the silver screen, Toy Story 4 is officially happening and will see original director John Lasseter back at the helm. This news comes as a very pleasant surprise to Pixar fans everywhere, especially given that many of us had figured they'd all but closed the book on this particular franchise after Toy Story 3 hit theaters back in 2010. But I guess it just further proves that when it comes to this little business we call show, no possibility is ever off limits. And while I'm definitely curious to find out what exactly the next chapter of this toy box story will cover, there's one thing I definitely know for sure: Toy Story 4 will be a guaranteed success.
What makes me say that? Well, this is only my personal opinion, mind you, but I've always found each installation of Toy Story to be more enjoyable than the last. I know many may argue that the first of most sequels or trilogies turn out to be far superior than their successors. And most of the time that's completely accurate. (I mean, The Lion King vs. Simba's Pride? Come on, it's no contest.) However, I've always felt different about Toy Story. The more of it I see, the more captivated I become. Basically, it can do no wrong. Except for that whole creepy clown and baby thing. Those guys still haunt my nightmares to this day.
At its very core, though, Toy Story accomplishes a sense of true childhood nostalgia that's rare to find, even among animated Disney films. Because there's a 99.9 percent chance that at some point in your childhood, you fantasized what it would be like if your toys could talk. It's practically every child's dream. To think that the objects — with which we used to cling so closely to at night during those scary thunder and lightning storms — are more than just inanimate figures. The idea that they loved us just as much as we loved them.
So when Pixar came along and introduced us to a world where toys did, in fact, come to life when left alone in a room (as we always suspected they did), it spoke to us on a very heartfelt level. Aside from pets, toys are a child's best friend while growing up. They're there to comfort you when you're sick, to protect you when you're scared, to hug you when you're lonely, and even be used as a tissue when you're feeling sad. It's a relationship that was well worth exploring, and one that this franchise just happened to succeed in with flying colors.
And deep down, that love for our toys never really goes away. Sure, we grow up and eventually say goodbye to many of our childish possessions, but that doesn't take away from what they brought into our lives. And hopefully, what we brought into theirs.
But even if you're not quite as sappy as me, there's one thing about Toy Story you simply can't deny… it's just as hilarious as it is heartfelt.
So bring it on, Pixar. We want this times infinity and beyond.
Images: Disney-Pixar; disneymagicalworld/Tumblr; imgarcade; Rebloggy; toast-loves-you/Tumblr; Giphy
