Toy Story 4: When the world is bigger than its main characters

As a concept, I think the Toy Story world has many possibilities to explore. The movies established a universe where toys have entire lives whenever humans aren’t looking, yet we’ve mostly experienced that world through the same small group of characters.

That’s why I think Toy Story 4 was a missed opportunity. Instead of continuing Woody’s story beyond what felt like its natural ending, why not explore this world through an entirely different group of toys?

I struggled to believe that Woody would ever leave Buzz and Jessie after everything they’d been through together. They’re his best friends!

Sometimes it can feel as though the business of continuing a successful franchise starts competing with what feels right for the story.

And it’s a shame to say, but the story following Andy’s toys should’ve ended in the third movie. It was such a good ending. They should’ve left Woody, Buzz and the gang with Bonnie, waving goodbye to Andy as he drove away.

For me, that was their happy ending. But it didn’t have to be the end of the Toy Story world.

I’m not even mad that Bo Peep was in the fourth movie. I thought it was interesting that she came back. What didn’t work for me was how different her personality seemed, and ultimately, that Woody chose to stay with her and live without a child.
It went against everything Woody stood for in the previous movies.

I think Bo Peep could’ve been the main character in the fourth movie, following her after she was accidentally left behind at a circus or fairground, and seeing how she coped and survived.

That could open up all sorts of possibilities with the toys she meets and befriends along the way.
Where do lost toys go? What communities might they create? How differently would toys view children if they’d been abandoned, donated, broken, or passed between generations?

The first three Toy Story movies are known for their poignant messages throughout the storylines, and I think the fourth movie overlooked just how much potential there was in the world they’d already created.

For example, Bo Peep could’ve started wandering around, or left the fairgrounds completely, following the highway and not really knowing what her next move was.

Then maybe as a nod to the previous films, she could notice Woody and Buzz in the window of a camper van with Bonnie. She runs and calls out to them, but the camper van drives away before they notice her.

Of course, I’m not saying this is the best alternative idea ever. There is always the chance that even if this was the new storyline, it would still be compared to the first three movies.

For me, this is one of those occasions where continuing a story beyond its natural ending weakened some of the impact of that original ending. That’s also why I’m going into the fifth movie with fairly low expectations.

These are just some thoughts I’ve been pondering lately and wanted to share. I know they’re just movies and ‘it’s not that deep’, but as a writer of twelve years now, I always enjoy imagining what I would’ve done differently if I’d had the chance to change a film or TV script.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Toy Story movies. If you could change anything, what would you do differently? Or what would you keep the same? And as always, let’s keep the discussion friendly and respectful.